Violence threatens MDC Congress

The Opposition MDC Congress is experiencing a false start after Bulawayo party security details are reportedly barring officers who are supporting Professor Welshman Ncube for Vice Presidency from entering Ward Congress venues and to contest for office.

It is reported that the majority of the security details are aligned to Honourable Tabitha Khumalo who wants to be Vice President ahead of Professor Ncube.

Ward 10 Councilor Sinikiwe Matha Matanda who narrated what is taking place said on Tuesday, "The ward chairperson, Khalazani  Ndlovu came with her fellow wing leaders to my house and did fill in structure forms very well. They left around 4 PM ostensibly to hand in the structures to the office as it was approaching deadline at 4 PM as communicated."

Matanda said she was then phoned by the Ward Women's Organising Secretary saying Khalazani was taken by the security at the office and they were surprisingly saying the structure was filled with people who are Pro Entumbane-Makhandeni Member of Parliament  Dingilizwe Tshuma.

Hon. Tshuma is reported to be one of the 13 MPs in Bulawayo who support the candidature of Prof Ncube.  The four  MPs who are anti-Prof Ncube are Senator Helen Zivira, James Sithole ( Makokoba), Tabitha Khumalo (PR) and  Senator Gideon Shoko.

"Security forcefully took all documents including ward copies." Cllr Matanda added.

" They tore all the documents as if it was not enough the marauding gang of five comprising Mola who left the party sometime, Henry, Xmas, one Mende and another one came to my house violently and noisily demanding copies of structures l had.

"I refused vehemently as l am aware that security has absolutely nothing to do with structures. Structures belong to the Organising department and as a result of this, we as Ward 10 disown structures handed in n drawn up by security. Bonafide structures are still in the original books and papers written on the day of Congress as left by the ward Chair Khalazani and her team when transcribing."       

She further said the conduct of the security details shows that they are factional and are a danger to the MDC. "Security must focus externally that is why the party has always been infiltrated there! They are clueless."    

MDC has been known for its clarion call for security sector reforms but the recent incident sells the double standards of some party officials who use security details to intimidate those disagreeing with them is alarming.

One of the causes of the 12 October 2005 split of the original MDC was that some party leaders deployed security details to beat up those disagreed to them.

The violent activities are contained in a Commission of Inquiry into the Intra-Party violence.