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Desperate Welshman Ncube dismisses Khupe's claims
29 Aug 2017 at 06:24hrs | Views
MDC president Professor Welshman Ncube has dismissed as false assertions by MDC-T deputy president Ms Thokozani Khupe that her party does not need to enter into an alliance to contest for seats in Matabeleland provinces.
Ms Khupe, one of the MDC-T vice presidents and the party's national chairman Mr Lovemore Moyo have publicly said their party can go it alone in Matabeleland.
Ms Khupe was previously quoted in the private media arguing that the MDC-T only needs allies in other provinces where the party has been losing to Zanu-PF.
"As a political party, when you want a coalition, you would have realised a gap in your party and as the MDC, where is our gap?
"It is clear our gap is in Mashonaland East, West and Central, where we have consistently not done very well. So, when looking for a coalition partner, you must look for a partner, who is going to be able to cover that gap," Ms Khupe is quoted saying.
In an interview last Friday, Prof Ncube said Ms Khupe and her faction may be suffering from memory loss as evidence on the ground shows that the MDC-T needs an alliance to perform better in Matabeleland.
He said if the MDC-T was strong enough it could be having seats in Matabeleland South where all the opposition parties were trounced by Zanu-PF in 2013.
"If you want to make a case that we are stronger in Matabeleland when we are divided, it's self-evidently untrue. First just take Matabeleland South, if you go to the 2013 elections,
"Zanu-PF won all the 13 seats. But if you put together all the opposition votes in Matabeleland South alone we could have won seven seats from Zanu-PF.
"So how is it possible for someone to construct such an argument that we are stronger apart when the most recent example illustrates that when we are united we would have won seven seats in Matabeleland South alone? It does not make sense to me," said Prof Ncube.
Earlier this month, Ms Khupe and her allies boycotted the launch of the MDC Alliance in Harare and convened a separate meeting in Bulawayo that ended in violence.
Ms Khupe, one of the MDC-T vice presidents and the party's national chairman Mr Lovemore Moyo have publicly said their party can go it alone in Matabeleland.
Ms Khupe was previously quoted in the private media arguing that the MDC-T only needs allies in other provinces where the party has been losing to Zanu-PF.
"As a political party, when you want a coalition, you would have realised a gap in your party and as the MDC, where is our gap?
"It is clear our gap is in Mashonaland East, West and Central, where we have consistently not done very well. So, when looking for a coalition partner, you must look for a partner, who is going to be able to cover that gap," Ms Khupe is quoted saying.
In an interview last Friday, Prof Ncube said Ms Khupe and her faction may be suffering from memory loss as evidence on the ground shows that the MDC-T needs an alliance to perform better in Matabeleland.
He said if the MDC-T was strong enough it could be having seats in Matabeleland South where all the opposition parties were trounced by Zanu-PF in 2013.
"If you want to make a case that we are stronger in Matabeleland when we are divided, it's self-evidently untrue. First just take Matabeleland South, if you go to the 2013 elections,
"Zanu-PF won all the 13 seats. But if you put together all the opposition votes in Matabeleland South alone we could have won seven seats from Zanu-PF.
"So how is it possible for someone to construct such an argument that we are stronger apart when the most recent example illustrates that when we are united we would have won seven seats in Matabeleland South alone? It does not make sense to me," said Prof Ncube.
Earlier this month, Ms Khupe and her allies boycotted the launch of the MDC Alliance in Harare and convened a separate meeting in Bulawayo that ended in violence.
Source - chronicle
