Biti continues with party work

MDC-T secretary general, Tendai Biti, is continuing with his party work, despite staying away from rallies where he has been repeatedly denounced by angry activists.

Biti is described as the "puppeteer" behind the explosive call by deputy treasurer general Elton Mangoma on party leader Morgan Tsvangirai to step down.

Mangoma was beaten up by party activists at the MDC-T headquarters in Harare and has since been suspended in a decision Biti dismissed as unconstitutional and therefore "null and void".

Biti, Mangoma and others pressing for leadership renewal in the party, which effectively means Tsvangirai's ouster, have not attended rallies addressed in recent days by the former premier in Harare and Bulawayo.

However MDC-T spokesman, Douglas Mwonzora, said Biti was continuing with his party work despite the leadership fight.

Tendai is still our secretary-general and is performing his duties well as chief administrator of the party. He chaired the administration and finance committee meetings last week and has been attending standing committee meetings," Mwonzora told the Herald on Monday.

"He (Biti) was not in Bulawayo because he had recused himself. There is no problem at all . . . the party is dealing with its problems in a mature manner."

Tsvangirai has insisted that the leadership dispute will not lead to another split of the party but has not shied away from publicly criticising those plotting his ouster.

While addressing supporters in Bulawayo, Tsvangirai hit out at Biti for suggesting Zanu-PF won last year's elections because they had a better message.

The MDC-T wants its top officials to reiterate the party claim that President Robert Mugabe rigged the vote.

Said Tsvangirai: "If old villagers understand that the elections were rigged, why do senior people refuse to acknowledge that?

"They say 'he-e internal democracy, he-e constitutionalism'. Why are you not seeing dictatorship in Zanu PF? Why are you not seeing Zanu-PF stealing the elections.

"There is nothing wrong with different opinions in the MDC, but let's have direction. Democracy is not mobocracy . . . We condemn indiscipline in the party."

The leadership renewal group has called for an early congress to decide the leadership dispute in a development initially rejected by Tsvangirai's allies who argued the party could not be forced to short-circuit constitutional processes to satisfy their ambitions.

But Mwonzora told the weekly standard newspaper at the weekend that the party would now bring the congress, due in 2016, forward.

"It is them (anti-Tsvangirai group) who said we should go for an early congress, but now they are afraid to go to the people," he said.

"An early congress will ensure that we are prepared for the 2018 elections. It will make the party stronger and more united."

Tsvangirai is expected to use the congress to either get rid of his rivals or completely silence them.

Party sources suggest organising secretary, Nelson Chamisa, a stanch Tsvangirai supporter - albeit with an eye on his own leadership ambitions - will challenge Biti for the secretary general's post.

Mangoma will likely be challenged by Tapiwa Mashakada who was handed charge of the party purse following the former energy minister's suspension.