MDC-T members rubbish Tsvangirai's 'unity pact'

DISGRUNTLED MDC-T members have rubbished the "unity pact" announced by party leader Morgan Tsvangirai on Tuesday, saying true peace would only prevail after the opposition party has ceased its ongoing purge against perceived internal rebels.

Suspended Manicaland MDC-T provincial spokesperson Pishai Muchauraya yesterday said Tsvangirai's truce would remain a non-event as long as the party has not addressed "burning  issues" raised by suspended national deputy treasurer-general Elton Mangoma.

Mangoma and Muchauraya were among top party officials recently suspended on allegations of calling for leadership renewal in the MDC-T. Soon after their suspension early this month, party secretary-general Tendai Biti voiced his concern over the decision describing it as a legal nullity, and in the process earning himself the "rebel" label.

"You can't say there is unity when the purge is still on. He (Tsvangirai) should have let the victims say that there was unity in the party. How can the perpetrator speak on behalf of victims? Some of us are living in fear of the party youths," Muchauraya said.

"On Monday, we had problems in Chitungwiza and as we speak, we are living in fear. The (MDC-T) youths are more vicious than Zanu-PF youths. He can run, but he can't hide."

Biti and his alleged rebel accomplice Elias Mudzuri attended Tsvangirai's Tuesday Press conference, but did not address the media.

Contacted for comment, party spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora dismissed Muchauraya's threats saying the position announced by Tsvangirai was final.

"He (Muchauraya) is a suspended person and can't therefore speak for people as intelligent as Biti and Mudzuri," Mwonzora said.

In his address, Tsvangirai said: "On Friday last week, we met as the elected senior leaders of the party, the National Standing Committee. The meeting was a gruelling five hours of honest and frank discussion on the developments in the party and in the country.

"After that frank heart-to-heart session, we all unanimously agreed that our disagreements in the cockpit, while confirming our credentials as a democratic party, had needlessly diverted attention from the key issues affecting the people of Zimbabwe.

But we had realised it was important for us to sit down as the party leadership to openly discuss and sort out our issues."

However, another MDC-T national executive member who declined to be named said instead of sweeping the fights under the carpet, Tsvangirai should allow disgruntled party members to freely air their grievances.

The party executive said the fissures in the MDC-T were being fuelled by its lack of a coherent national strategy to unseat Zanu-PF.