'Mugabe must go now'

Job Sikhala who recently rejoined the MDC led by Morgan Tsvangirai on Saturday said President Robert Mugabe must quit as waiting for the 2018 elections will lead the country into economic quagmire.

Sikhala was addressing a rally at Stanley Square in Bulawayo where he told MDC supporters that his reunion with Tsvangirai was going to usher in a new democratic dispensation in the country.

"We have always been complaining about electoral theft and we can continue until eternity but we are now going to adopt a paradigm shift in Zimbabwe's political system," said a charged up Sikhala.

"Mugabe will learn that elections will never be rigged again. We are not waiting for 2018, he should go now. Mugabe should know that we are coming to finish what we started in 1999," said Sikhala.

Sikhala, who had the crowd chanting Wiwa Wiwa, was paraded at the rally together with former Mangwe MP Edward Mkhosi, Siyabonga Malandu, the Insiza South MP both from the MDC led by Welshman Ncube and former Gweru Mayor Tedious Chimombe who rejoined the party.

The former MDC 99 leader said it was time the party unite and put personal egos aside as divisions have cost the opposition's struggle to remove Zanu-PF.

"Let's put the people's interests ahead. The issue of personal egos is over, we realised that we achieve nothing through that. There is no use fighting each other as long as Mugabe is there. This was on the basis of our naivety to understand that our struggle was bigger than individuals," he said while assuring the MDC president that he was back with "full commitment."

In reference to the internal strife currently rocking the opposition party, Sikhala said it was normal in the struggle for some to tire along the way.

"It's normal in a family to have someone who is a rumour monger, but we are saying those with demons should go to the prophets to be exorcised. Our mission is to remove Zanu-PF therefore we don't need people who disturb us," he said.

In his speech, Mkhosi echoed Sikhala's sentiments.

"As MDC we need to unite, not to remove Tsvangirai but to remove Mugabe. We are concentrating on unseating each other yet we are leaving our common enemy," said Mkhosi.

He also narrated how they as a dedicated team founded the party in 1999.

Speaking at the same event, party national chairperson Lovemore Moyo said the MDC was not going to waste time begging people he described as tired of the struggle.

"We won't try to waste our time begging those people. The organisation is voluntary and anyone is free to join or leave. But we won't fire people," Moyo said.

Bulawayo provincial chairperson Gorden Moyo and Senator Matson Hlalo did not attend the rally thereby raising speculation that they might be in the rebels' camp.

MDC national organising secretary, Nelson Chamisa labelled those who called for leadership renewal in the party Zanu-PF agents who could not wait to see the back of Tsvangirai.

"You cannot change a referee at half time, you can only change players. You cannot call an elephant a rat or rat an elephant. We also want to show Zanu-PF that you cannot cut a baobab using a razor," said Chamisa who dismissed reports of being a bootlicker.

The rally appeared to rubber-stamp Tsvangirai's leadership, with new slogans such as "We are clear and uTsvangirai ngenkani ongafuniyo kayekele" (Tsvangirai remains our leader, anyone who thinks otherwise can quit).