News / National
Intra-party violence rocks Tsvangirai led party, members speak
18 Feb 2014 at 04:27hrs | Views
Intra-party violence is embedded in MDC-T and another serious implosion is imminent if the vice is not nipped in the bud, senior party officials said yesterday.
The state media reports that some MDC-T officials and former members on Monday opened up to The Herald on the party's violent trait, following the thrashing of secretary-general Tendai Biti, deputy treasurer Mr Elton Mangoma and Youth Assembly secretary-general Promise Mkwananzi.
Mr Biti and his colleagues were bashed by a gang of youths aligned to party leader Mr Tsvangirai after Mr Mangoma wrote a letter calling for leadership renewal in the party.
A commission of inquiry into the violence that rocked the party in 2004 clearly showed Mr Tsvangirai's hand in the violence that rocked the party.
MDC-T national executive member Engineer Elias Mudzuri, who is one of the leading candidates angling for Mr Tsvangirai's position, condemned the barbaric attack on Mr Mangoma, Mr Biti and Mr Mkwananzi.
He said no one should seek to be a permanent leader in the party.
"Pamusha pako ndopaunoti ndepangu . . . Ini ndaiva organiser asi ndakabva wani . . .," he said.
"No one has the right to attack anyone, especially one who is disabled, whether it is your opponent or not.
"If you have a reason you should argue and win it —there is no need to beat each other." Eng Mudzuri said democrats do not fight each other and such tendencies should be condemned.
MDC vice president Mr Edwin Mushoriwa, who is also a victim of MDC-T violence, said violence was not a new phenomenon in the MDC-T.
He said the major reason why they parted ways with Mr Tsvangirai was the party's violent nature and failure to observe democratic values.
"There is no difference between what happened to (Elton) Mangoma and what happened in 2005 (when the party split)," he said.
"We were not shocked to hear that Mangoma was attacked at Harvest House because that is the nature of Tsvangirai's party. What shocked us is that at this point there are people who are still using violence as a tool for political control."
MDC-T losing candidate for Harare South, Mr Jacob Mafume, took to his Facebook wall yesterday to vent his anger on the violent behaviour of his colleagues.
"I condemn in the strongest terms the assault on Elton Mangoma, Tendai Biti and Promise Mkwananzi. It is insulting and nauseating for the spokesperson (Luke Tamborinyoka) to issue a kindergarten statement on the issue.
"The statement is not only self-serving but disgusting. I want to puke. For him to sugar-coat an assault on Mangoma, a national leader, is not only pathetic but tragic. If we can do this to a national leader no wonder we are not getting any nearer to the seat of power.
"If we attack Mangoma in this fashion using a rag tag militia would you blame Zanu-PF and MDC members alike for thinking that if we assume power we would do worse to them?" Mr Mafume said.
MDC-T members who spoke to The Herald on condition of anonymity said they lived in fear because of the "violent nature" of Mr Tsvangirai's followers.
"He (Mr Tsvangirai) always sets his dogs on people who challenge his authority in the party as happened from early 2000," said a source.
"He pretends not to be involved yet he sponsors that militia. Now we are afraid of people in the party, more than those in Zanu-PF." Another source added: "Violence has always been the way of silencing people in the party right from before the 2005 spilt.
"The president blesses the violence because no action has been taken against people who assaulted senior party leadership ever since. Commissions of inquiry have been set up and culprits identified but Tsvangirai has always blocked the purging."
He said those aligned to Mr Tsvangirai were now targeting leaders believed to be behind calls for his ouster.
"Everyone who is believed to be supporting his stepping down is now being targeted. For instance, Morgan Femai was introduced as leader for Harare province at Tsvangirai's rally in Glen Norah yet Paul Madzore is the elected provincial chairperson.
"Violence in the party is well co-ordinated. For instance on Saturday, Tsvangirai's driver and his aide are the ones who were buying alcoholic beverages at OK First Street such as Two Keys for the youths. This was a well-orchestrated attack.
"When Tsvangirai got to his house he just laughed at Mangoma that he had been assaulted. He did not apologise at all, neither did he show remorse," said a source.
An inquiry conducted by the late Dr Tichaona Mudzingwa, Mr Giles Mutsekwa and Mr Moses Mzila-Ndlovu in 2004 indicated that Mr Tsvangirai had ordered former director of security in the party, Mr Peter Guhu, who had been assaulted not to report the assault case to the police.
A former head of department in the VIP protection unit, Mr Nhamo Musekiwa, is quoted in the report saying he believed violence was the only way of bringing people in line.
"Oh yes, it is a useful method because people always feign innocence when in actual fact they are guilty, so the best way is to beat them up until they admit," Musekiwa was quoted as saying.
The probe team also found that the MDC-T had rival vigilante groups from before the split who were there to attack senior officials they suspected of belonging to a rival faction.
A source that spoke on condition of anonymity said the MDC-T was headed for a split similar to the 2005 split.
"Developments in the party point to another split," said the source.
"Only a few senior MDC-T officials were present at Mr Tsvangirai's rally that was held in Harare on Sunday.
"All other heavyweights that are calling for leadership renewal such as Mr Biti, Mr Mangoma, Eng Mudzuri and members of the youth assembly did not attend the rally pointing to a possible split in the party."
The state media reports that some MDC-T officials and former members on Monday opened up to The Herald on the party's violent trait, following the thrashing of secretary-general Tendai Biti, deputy treasurer Mr Elton Mangoma and Youth Assembly secretary-general Promise Mkwananzi.
Mr Biti and his colleagues were bashed by a gang of youths aligned to party leader Mr Tsvangirai after Mr Mangoma wrote a letter calling for leadership renewal in the party.
A commission of inquiry into the violence that rocked the party in 2004 clearly showed Mr Tsvangirai's hand in the violence that rocked the party.
MDC-T national executive member Engineer Elias Mudzuri, who is one of the leading candidates angling for Mr Tsvangirai's position, condemned the barbaric attack on Mr Mangoma, Mr Biti and Mr Mkwananzi.
He said no one should seek to be a permanent leader in the party.
"Pamusha pako ndopaunoti ndepangu . . . Ini ndaiva organiser asi ndakabva wani . . .," he said.
"No one has the right to attack anyone, especially one who is disabled, whether it is your opponent or not.
"If you have a reason you should argue and win it —there is no need to beat each other." Eng Mudzuri said democrats do not fight each other and such tendencies should be condemned.
MDC vice president Mr Edwin Mushoriwa, who is also a victim of MDC-T violence, said violence was not a new phenomenon in the MDC-T.
He said the major reason why they parted ways with Mr Tsvangirai was the party's violent nature and failure to observe democratic values.
"There is no difference between what happened to (Elton) Mangoma and what happened in 2005 (when the party split)," he said.
"We were not shocked to hear that Mangoma was attacked at Harvest House because that is the nature of Tsvangirai's party. What shocked us is that at this point there are people who are still using violence as a tool for political control."
MDC-T losing candidate for Harare South, Mr Jacob Mafume, took to his Facebook wall yesterday to vent his anger on the violent behaviour of his colleagues.
"I condemn in the strongest terms the assault on Elton Mangoma, Tendai Biti and Promise Mkwananzi. It is insulting and nauseating for the spokesperson (Luke Tamborinyoka) to issue a kindergarten statement on the issue.
"The statement is not only self-serving but disgusting. I want to puke. For him to sugar-coat an assault on Mangoma, a national leader, is not only pathetic but tragic. If we can do this to a national leader no wonder we are not getting any nearer to the seat of power.
"If we attack Mangoma in this fashion using a rag tag militia would you blame Zanu-PF and MDC members alike for thinking that if we assume power we would do worse to them?" Mr Mafume said.
"He (Mr Tsvangirai) always sets his dogs on people who challenge his authority in the party as happened from early 2000," said a source.
"He pretends not to be involved yet he sponsors that militia. Now we are afraid of people in the party, more than those in Zanu-PF." Another source added: "Violence has always been the way of silencing people in the party right from before the 2005 spilt.
"The president blesses the violence because no action has been taken against people who assaulted senior party leadership ever since. Commissions of inquiry have been set up and culprits identified but Tsvangirai has always blocked the purging."
He said those aligned to Mr Tsvangirai were now targeting leaders believed to be behind calls for his ouster.
"Everyone who is believed to be supporting his stepping down is now being targeted. For instance, Morgan Femai was introduced as leader for Harare province at Tsvangirai's rally in Glen Norah yet Paul Madzore is the elected provincial chairperson.
"Violence in the party is well co-ordinated. For instance on Saturday, Tsvangirai's driver and his aide are the ones who were buying alcoholic beverages at OK First Street such as Two Keys for the youths. This was a well-orchestrated attack.
"When Tsvangirai got to his house he just laughed at Mangoma that he had been assaulted. He did not apologise at all, neither did he show remorse," said a source.
An inquiry conducted by the late Dr Tichaona Mudzingwa, Mr Giles Mutsekwa and Mr Moses Mzila-Ndlovu in 2004 indicated that Mr Tsvangirai had ordered former director of security in the party, Mr Peter Guhu, who had been assaulted not to report the assault case to the police.
A former head of department in the VIP protection unit, Mr Nhamo Musekiwa, is quoted in the report saying he believed violence was the only way of bringing people in line.
"Oh yes, it is a useful method because people always feign innocence when in actual fact they are guilty, so the best way is to beat them up until they admit," Musekiwa was quoted as saying.
The probe team also found that the MDC-T had rival vigilante groups from before the split who were there to attack senior officials they suspected of belonging to a rival faction.
A source that spoke on condition of anonymity said the MDC-T was headed for a split similar to the 2005 split.
"Developments in the party point to another split," said the source.
"Only a few senior MDC-T officials were present at Mr Tsvangirai's rally that was held in Harare on Sunday.
"All other heavyweights that are calling for leadership renewal such as Mr Biti, Mr Mangoma, Eng Mudzuri and members of the youth assembly did not attend the rally pointing to a possible split in the party."
Source - Herald
