Tsvangirai's MDC-T moves in to avoid split

The MDC-T, which is reeling from an acrimonious leadership battle, has activated its "guardian council" to mediate and mend the rift between its president Morgan Tsvangirai and hawks in the party pushing for his ouster to avoid a split.

The widening chasm between Tsvangirai and the hawks degenerated into violence at the weekend in Harare with youths aligned to the party leader assaulting deputy treasurer-general Elton Mangoma, secretary-general Tendai Biti and youth assembly secretary-general Promise Mkwananzi. Mangoma has since filed a police complaint.

Douglas Mwonzora, the party's spokesperson, Thursday night confirmed the mediation efforts by the party's guardian council led by Sekai Holland. The council is made up of elderly party members established in 2011 to give counsel to the MDC-T leadership.

The mediation comes amid reports that the international donor community in the country was distressed over the weekend violence that left the MDC-T on the verge of another split.

"It is true that the guardian council is trying to bring together the people who are disagreeing within the MDC party and we hope that everybody involved will take heed of these great efforts by our senior leaders to unite the party," Mwonzora said.

"The MDC is bigger than individuals and it is always important to understand the bigger picture of the task at hand, that of democratising the country than petty leadership squabbles."

Sources told The Zimbabwe Mail that Holland had since come up with a position paper on the mediation process, amid reports that the party's standing committee members had already met to ponder on the issue.

The Fishmongers Group leader in Harare, Australian Ambassador Matthew Neuhaus, on Wednesday said he had been briefed by Holland on the mediation efforts.

The Fishmongers Group is made up of Western donors, the United States, Britain, Germany, France, Sweden, Netherlands, Norway, Denmark, Canada and Australia.

Neuhaus said the international donor community was distressed by developments in the MDC-T.

"I met with MDC-T president Morgan Tsvangirai (Tuesday) and just before you came in, I was meeting with Sekai Holland. Holland is an award winning peacemaker, who is now trying to mediate between the different factions," the ambassador said.

"Violence is unacceptable whichever party it is coming from we condemn it. As for donors, they will obviously be distressed to see this."

Tsvangirai's spokesperson Luke Tamborinyoka yesterday flatly denied that his boss met Neuhaus.

"Tsvangirai has not met any diplomat and we do not care what the so called donors think because the MDC has never been funded from external sources," Tamborinyoka said.

"The party has been funded by its membership as well as funds allocated to it under the Political Parties Finance Act."

The opposition MDC-T is teetering on the brink of a nasty split after the violent fall-out that followed demands by a group calling itself "the renewal team" on Tsvangirai to step-down and give way for an elective congress.

Mangoma, who has appeared as the group's front-man, was at the weekend violently attacked, while Tsvangirai reportedly watched at the party's Harvest House headquarters in Harare after an emotive and contentious meeting of the party's 210 district chairpersons. Mangoma has since accused Tsvangirai of setting party thugs on him.