MDC-T heads for implosion

THE troubled MDC-T is on the brink of collapse with senior officials yesterday issuing contradicting statements around the appointment of the party's acting president, a further signal of deepening factional fights in the formation.

The latest chaos follows MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai's appointment of one of his deputies, Mr Nelson Chamisa as acting president on Wednesday.
Engineer Elias Mudzuri had been acting president since Mr Tsvangirai, who was diagnosed with cancer of the colon, left for South Africa for treatment a few weeks ago.

The appointment of Mr Chamisa has been read by some quarters of the party as an anointing of the Kuwadzana East legislator to succeed the ailing Mr Tsvangirai.

The party is divided along three factions led by Eng Mudzuri, Mr Chamisa and Dr Thokozani Khupe, all deputies to Mr Tsvangirai.

The announcement of Mr Chamisa's appointment made by Mr Tsvangirai's spokesperson Mr Luke Tamborinyoka has however been dismissed by MDC-T spokesperson Mr Obert Gutu. The contradictory statements around Mr Chamisa's appointment adds to the already simmering tensions within the party after Dr Khupe on Wednesday declared herself as the rightful successor to Mr Tsvangirai.

Instead, Mr Gutu indirectly accused Mr Tamborinyoka of being captured by a faction linked to Mr Chamisa.

"I have just been authoritatively advised that Hon. Elias Mudzuri is still the acting president of the MDC –T," he posted on his Twitter account.

"The truth shall, as usual, set me free. I'm not captured. I always stick to principles. I hereby stand by and reiterate what I posted earlier on this platform."

Contacted to explain his tweets, Mr Gutu stuck to his guns. "I am a man of my word. I am a principled man. What I say, I have actually no reason to dispute or lie. I'm sticking to what I said in my earlier tweets. I'm not captured," said Mr Gutu.

MDC-T national chairperson, Mr Lovemore Moyo, also alleged that the party had been captured.

"The national chairman notes with utter disdain, disappointment and grave concern on the seeming capture of the party and the president by a few misguided power mongers and moles.

"It is clear that there is an enemy hand in all these internal fights that continue to escalate day by day," said Mr Moyo in a statement through his personal assistant Mr Artwell Sibanda.

A letter purportedly from Mr Tsvangirai's office was also circulated online nullifying Mr Chamisa's appointment and insisting that Eng Mudzuri was still the party's acting president.

However, addressing a press briefing in Harare yesterday afternoon, Mr Tamborinyoka said Mr Chamisa's appointment stands.

"I want to place it on record that I'm the official spokesperson of the president and what I place on the market as instructed personally by him. That position has not changed," he said.

Mr Tamborinyoka dismissed the circulating letter as fraudulent.

"For the record, that letter is on a fraudulent letterhead with a scanned signature of the president, which signature is readily available online," he said.

"The office of the president has not released such a letterhead to anyone and the president, who is currently in SA, has not asked for it for him to place his purported letter. In short, the so-called letter is fraudulent and bogus."