Khupe youths vow to join Chamisa demo

YOUTHS from the Thokozani Khupe led MDC-T have vowed to defy a party directive not to participate in a demonstration organised by the rival MDC, insisting the protest was necessary because people are suffering.

MDC-T vice president Obert Gutu Wednesday appeared on State broadcaster, Zimbabwe Broadcasting Cooperation (ZBC) denouncing the protests.

The party‘s spokesperson Khaliphani Phungeni has also rubbished the demonstrations, which the main opposition says were to register Zimbabweans' growing disgruntlement over a deteriorating economic situation in the country.

But the party's national youth spokesperson, Alfred Dzirutwe said Gutu's comments were unfortunate.

"People are suffering. We cannot tell people not to attend the demonstrations. It is unfortunate that my vice president is against the demonstrations," said Dzirutwe.

The youth spokesperson said it was wrong for his party to tell suffering Zimbabweans not to be part of a process aimed at alerting authorities on the suffering they were going through.

"If people do not want to attend, simple. There is going to be low turnout and that will be a sign that people are tired of demonstrations.

"The honest truth is that there is so much suffering in the country. So, how do you come out and tell people that you cannot demonstrate? They will make their own decisions," said Dzirutwe.

The Nelson Chamisa led MDC kick-starts its nationwide demonstrations in Harare this Friday before taking the protests to other urban centres in the country.

Zimbabwe is reeling under a severe economic crisis which has seen prices of goods and services accelerate way ahead of wages that remain stagnant.

Government is at pains to convince locals its austerity measures introduced by Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube were well intentioned and tailored to rescue the troubled country from its deep economic hole.