MDC-T circus boils to climax

THE MDC-T leadership circus enters a decisive moment today when the main opposition party's National Executive and National Council meet to adopt a Standing Committee resolution to expel leadership renewal team members.

The leadership renewal team - reportedly led by secretary-general Tendai Biti - on Saturday staged a palace coup and "suspended" party leader former Premier Morgan Tsvangirai and his six key lieutenants.

Sources said the agenda for today's meetings was drafted by nine MDC-T Standing Committee members who met at the party headquarters at Harvest House in Harare yesterday, where the party leaders resolved to ignore their so-called "suspensions".

Tsvangirai and his lieutenants - who include deputy president Thokozani Khupe, national organising secretary Nelson Chamisa and party spokesman Douglas Mwonzora, among others - were "suspended" on Saturday by a team of disgruntled senior officials led by Biti on allegations of breaching the party's constitution and using violence to silence dissenting voices.

"The Standing Committee resolved that the drastic action, including the summary expulsion of the rebel (renewal team) leadership, should be done by the National Council tomorrow [today]," an insider said.

Contacted for comment last night, Mwonzora said: "The Standing Committee will table its agenda to the National Executive Committee tomorrow [today] and thereafter hold a National Council meeting that will pass resolutions on the way forward."

However, the renewal team yesterday remained defiant, describing today's National Council meeting as illegal and void.

"It is, therefore, clear that a National Council meeting that has been called for tomorrow, Tuesday, by Tsvangirai and the other suspended members will not be properly constituted as it will be made up of hired non-members," said lawyer Jacob Mafume, the spokesperson for the "rebels".

"It is very clear that tomorrow's meeting will fail to have the required quorum as most legitimate members who attended Saturday's meeting where Tsvangirai and his colleagues were suspended will not attend tomorrow's [today's] meeting."

Other Tsvangirai loyalists "suspended" last Saturday at a meeting chaired by MDC-T Guardian Council secretary-general Samuel Sipepa Nkomo include Lovemore Moyo (national chairman), Morgen Komichi (deputy national chairman) and Abednico Bhebhe (deputy organising secretary).

The renewal team stated that the "suspension" of the seven was prompted by their "departure from the founding values of the party".

"Equally over the years, the party has become exclusive and has delinked from the working people of Zimbabwe, has totally isolated itself from its labour and civic society roots and the genuine aspirations of the working people," the renewal team said.

The renewal team did not hide their disdain for Tsvangirai's leadership.

They argued: "The leader was clearly outsmarted by his co-principal in government (President) Robert Mugabe and miserably failed to push the reform agenda, which was the primary reason of joining government. The result was that of a party entering an election before the reform agenda was completed."

In a clear move, the renewal team said it had shifted the party's values closer to the political left - social democracy.

"We restate our social democratic values and our commitment to work for the genuine upliftment of the working people of Zimbabwe and we state categorically that we are African first of all and, therefore, shall be guided by a pan-Africanist world outlook and shall work with other African governments."

Former Energy minister and MDC-T national executive member Elias Mudzuri, who appeared to be sitting on the fence, said the unfolding events in his party and the country at large were saddening.

He said Zimbabwe was burning with problems of corruption, poverty, hunger and despondency, while there was internal strife and hopeless failure to resolve conflicts.

"How does one speak of solving the country's problems when one's house is burning? We need to resolve the conflict in our house first, then address the country's problems," he wrote on his Facebook page.

"As Zimbabweans, we must indulge in honest, robust and constructive debate about the goings-on in the MDC with a view to assisting the feuding parties who have lost each other find common ground."

Meanwhile, under pressure MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai has broken his silence on the attempted coup staged by rebels seeking to topple him from the party's presidency - describing his opponents as "little men" who could never remove him through illegal means.

Addressing his supporters in his rural home of Buhera on Sunday, Tsvangirai also described the rebellion as a "non-event".