Pressure mounts on Tsvangirai, Western embassies losing confidence

CALLS for MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai to step down deepened over the weekend amid reports that some Western diplomats privately met the ex-Premier at his Highlands home in Harare in a bid to express their concern over intra-party violence and the need for him to allow open debate on leadership renewal.

MDC-T sources told NewsDay yesterday that British ambassador Deborah Bronnert met Tsvangirai at his Highlands home over the weekend to discuss the unsavoury developments in the party since the violence that erupted at the party headquarters more than a week ago.

Other embassies said to be involved in private meetings with the embattled ex-Prime Minister include the European Union, United States and Australia.

"Tsvangirai met Bronnert this weekend to discuss developments in the party. The two discussed the issue of leadership renewal and party financing," the source said.

The source added: "The Western embassies are fast losing confidence in Tsvangirai and some are threatening to tighten the purse-strings to force leadership renewal."

The MDC-T has traditionally survived on financial support from Western countries opposed to Zanu PF leader President Robert Mugabe.

Both Bronnert and Tsvangirai's spokesperson Luke Tamborinyoka were not picking up their phones, but MDC-T spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora insisted that the party would only change its leadership at congress.
"MDC-T has a particular way of selecting leaders and this is via a congress. Whoever wants to be a leader has to do it via a congress," Mwonzora said.

The calls for leadership change increased early this month when the party's deputy treasurer-general Elton Mangoma's private letter to Tsvangirai exhorting him to resign was leaked to the media. Earlier on, exiled MDC-T treasurer-general Roy Bennett and national executive members Iain Kay, Elias Mudzuri and Eddie Cross had expressed similar sentiments.

The party has since then held a series of meetings to find common ground between those backing Tsvangirai and those insisting on leadership renewal before the 2016 congress.

The last meeting at the party headquarters, Harvest House in Harare, attended by district chairpersons, ended with some senior officials among them Mangoma, secretary-general Tendai Biti and youth leader Promise Mkwananzi being assaulted by a group of suspected Tsvangirai loyalists.

Several analysts have warned that if not handled properly, the current political crisis at the MDC-T could trigger another split reminiscent of the October 2005 schism which led to the formation of a breakaway faction led by Welshman Ncube. The MDC then split after Tsvangirai rejected the majority view that the party should contest the 2005 senatorial elections.

Tsvangirai has been at the helm of the MDC since 1999 when the party was launched, but has gone on to lose the presidential poll thrice to Mugabe, albeit under disputed circumstances.

Meanwhile, MDC-T youths in Matabeleland South province reportedly passed a vote of no-confidence in their chairperson Watchy Sibanda accusing him of belonging to a camp calling for Tsvangirai's ouster.

The youths gave Sibanda a one-week deadline to surrender the party's Isuzu vehicle and warned other provincial and district members against "engaging with rebels" or risk disciplinary action in the clearest sign of an ongoing purge of members calling for Tsvangirai to stand down.

"As vanguards, we also call upon provincial and district members who are in cahoots and are continuing engaging with rebels on party issues to stop it forthwith. Failure will result in disciplinary action against them," said MDC-T Matabeleland South provincial youth chairperson Morgan Ncube.

"As youth, we have lost confidence in the leadership of Sibanda. We passed a vote of no-confidence and therefore call on him to vacate the chairmanship position forthwith for failing to lead," Ncube said yesterday.

However, Sibanda yesterday said he was unaware of the no-confidence vote against him.

"I do not know anything about that. I am on my way to Harare," Sibanda said in a telephone interview.

The party's provincial spokesperson Mthokozisi Bhebhe said the provincial executive would meet today to deliberate on the vote of no-confidence against Sibanda.

"We will have our own position today as the mother body of the province," Bhebhe said.

The MDC-T Matabeleland South youths accused Sibanda of undermining Tsvangirai and betraying the people that elected him into office.