Tendai Biti supporters face the music

A MAJOR shake-up of MDC-T structures in Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South, Bulawayo and Masvingo is underway ahead of party leader Morgan Tsvangirai's visit next week.

Party insiders say a purge of Tsvangirai's opponents is in full swing within the provincial structures, despite growing resentment against his leadership.

Provincial secretaries, suspected to be loyal to Tsvangirai's leadership rival, Tendai Biti, are targets of the purge.

The MDC-T has already booted out provincial chairpersons believed to be linked to Biti and deputy treasurer Elton Mangoma, who has told Tsvangirai to step down.

Watchy Sibanda, the Matabeleland South chairman, was the first casualty after he was muscled out by the provincial youth wing on February 22. The youths gave Sibanda a one week ultimatum to surrender the party vehicle he was using for party business.

Provincial youth chairperson Morgan Ncube is on record warning fellow provincial and district members against "engaging with rebels" saying they risked disciplinary action.

Sengezo Tshabangu, the Matabeleland North chairman, also fell by the wayside on Saturday and was quickly replaced by organising secretary, Thembinkosi Sibindi, believed to be a staunch Tsvangirai supporter.

Sibindi denied Tshabangu's ouster was linked to the national leadership fight.

"He (Tshabangu) failed to run the province and even boycotted the meeting we had called to review our structures on Saturday," said Sibindi, who was briefly suspended from the party in the run up to last year's harmonised elections.

"Tsahabangu even went around mobilising people to boycott the meeting, but people ignored him and passed a vote of no confidence in him."

Tshabangu insists his ouster was a violation of the party constitution.

He said his ouster was masterminded by MDC-T national deputy organising secretary, Abednico Bhebhe.

A senior party official yesterday said chaos in the party had reached boiling point despite the fact that the party's elective congress is two years away. "There's so much disorder and we now fear another split before the congress. The interim committees that have been put in place to run the provinces until 2016 are clueless politicians that can only lead us into the wilderness," said the official, who preferred anonymity.

The official said the in-fighting was directionless and therefore a threat to the survival of the party. Last Friday, Bulawayo province held meeting in an attempt to whip members into supporting Tsvangirai.

The province stated in its resolution that it was unconstitutional for Mangoma to challenge Tsvangirai's leadership outside congress.

Party members blamed the party's dismal performance in last year's elections to the infighting.

Party spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora yesterday confirmed Tsvangirai's visit to Matabeleland next week, but played down the infighting within the party.

"The president will be in Matabeleland on a routine visit. The major rally will be at White City Stadium in Bulawayo," he said, without giving a date.

"The leadership issue was resolved in September last year. We agreed that the congress, which will be in 2016, will decide the next leader of the party."

Mwonzora quashed allegations people were being forced to rally behind Tsvangirai, saying every party member was free to choose their own leader.