Prof Moyo accuse Welshman Ncube of abusing Zuma family ties

MDC leader Welshman Ncube has been accused of using his family ties with South African President Jacob Zuma to steal a march on rivals as parties to the coalition government continue to bicker over the timing of elections due this year.

Ncube met with members of Zuma's facilitation team in Harare this week and accused President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai of side-lining his party and disregarding SADC resolutions.

The regional grouping played mid-wife to the formation of the unity government after violent elections in 2008 and has been facilitating negotiations for the holding of new polls with Zuma as he point-man.

Zuma's team was in Harare for meetings with GPA negotiators but also met Ncube separately in a development that appeared to rattle Tsvangirai's MDC-T and Zanu PF.

Said Tsvangirai's spokesman, Luke Tamborinyoka: "The Prime Minister never got the information that the facilitation team wanted to meet him.  He knows they had a meeting with Jomic officials only."

Zanu PF politburo member, Jonathan Moyo, said Ncube was taking advantage of his family ties with Zuma. The MDC leader's son is married to one of Zuma's daughters.

"I agree with those people who are saying he is trying to use the facilitation team to influence the poll dates in his favour. He is trying to abuse his family relationship with President Zuma," Moyo told the Herald.

"While the people can meet and talk about what they want, it raises speculation when he meets behind everyone else's backs. It raises eyebrows and brings to the fore his intensions and the role of the facilitation team.

"Why is he operating at the level of the negotiators, while he claims to be a principal? Zimbabweans by the end of the day are entitled to think the facilitation team is favouring him

"The elections in Zimbabwe are determined by the law and not political negotiations. When Parliament is dissolved, it does not require political negotiations because there will be nothing to negotiate. (Ncube) wants the elections by October so he is trying to sell that idea to the facilitation team."

But Ncube, who is also Industry and Commerce Minister, dismissed the allegations, insisting that his party had every right to hold meetings with the facilitation team when-ever necessary.

"It is foolish for someone to raise such matters . . . We have every right to push for our agenda with the facilitation team . . . it's our right to meet the facilitation team. We cannot all of a sudden, not have that right," he said.

"In fact, we had written to President Zuma raising our complaints (against Mugabe and Tsvangirai). The facilitation team requested for a meeting with the three principals and it was agreed that those meetings be held.

"(President) Mugabe said he would not be available for a long time, while (Prime Minister) Tsvangirai said he was busy. I was the only person available and they said they would meet us and would not wait for those who were busy."