Tsvangirai faction only owns Harvest House

MDC-T factions are heading for another showdown over the party's property across the country, among them  headquarters Harvest House in central Harare, as the leadership battle between President Morgan Tsvangirai and secretary-general Tendai Biti rages on.

Impeccable sources Wednesday told The Zimbabwe Mail that the stage was now set for an acrimonious fight with reports that the faction led by Tsvangirai holds title only to Harvest House while Biti and his renewal team were in-charge of all other immovable property throughout the country, as well as the party's vehicles.

The sources said Biti and deputy treasurer general Elton Mangoma were part of three directors in charge of Laphonic Enterprises, a company that owns all the MDC-T provincial offices and movable property. Harvest House, the sources said, in owned by Democratic Investment Holdings whose directors included Ian Makone, former minister Jameson Timba and former Church of the Province of Central Africa CPCA head Reverend Tim Neil.

Biti and his renewal team, the sources said, were effectively in control of most of the party property and had vowed to keep it.

"There are going to be arrest if people try to either hold-on to the party's property or force their way into some the property," one of the sources said

Jacob Mafume, the spokesperson of the renewal team, while not confirming that Biti and Mangoma were directors of the MDC-T property, he said the "arrangement" the party leaders had on the assets still stands.

"The party is still there and has interests in a number of companies that I am not at liberty to disclose. We have always had an arrangement as to how the property is held. That arrangement still stands until such time that the leadership decides to change that arrangement. We will have a problem when some people confuse the party and personalities, people are not institutions in as much as institutions are comprised of people," said Mafume. "The assets are with the people and if Morgan Tsvangirai wants the assets, when he comes back to the party he will find them. All assets are in the hands of party structures and not individuals, except for one building which is in the hands of certain thugs. The party belongs to the people; it does not belong to the individuals."

He said the MDC-T and "I mean the one that is currently run by the Guardian Council" would claim its rights to all its property.

"The MDC will claim its full rights to all property despite the fact that some people have surrounded property like Harvest House with vigilantes. It does not work because the law will take its course and anyone who breaks the law will be arrested," Mafume said. "We are clear that in the fullness of time everything will return to normal, but at the moment there is need for restraint given that some are running on emotions."

Tsvangirai's faction spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora said he was not sure which property fell under whose authority.

"I am not in a position to accurately tell which property is registered where. What I know is where a member is holding any property on behalf of the party and has been expelled or suspended they are duty bound to return it to the party," said Mwonzora.

Simmering factional fight in the MDC-T came to a head last Saturday when Biti and hawks agitating for leadership change in the opposition party staged a palace coup, suspending Tsvangirai and six other top leaders.

Tsvangirai shot back when he convened another national council on Tuesday and expelled Biti and a host of other officials who attended the meeting that suspended the ex-premier.

The suspensions and expulsions are a culmination of months of tensions that followed the party's humiliating electoral loss to Zanu PF in the harmonised elections in July 2013. Some top officials then began to call for leadership change and in particular demanded that Tsvangirai resigns and make way for an elective congress.

Biti early this week also wrote to the Speaker of parliament declaring that he was the sole authority in any engagement that the legislature might want to have with the MDC-T amid fears of possible victimisation and recalls of lawmakers and councillors seen as being anti-establishment.

The MDC-T is also set to receive from government its share of funding under the Political Parties Finance Act and it is understood the party wrote to parliament nominating the secretary general as the sole authority on communication regarding party activities.

Mwonzora seemed unsure when quizzed on the matter.

"Isn't it that the leader of the party in the House is the one who communicates or the Chief Whip? That is my understanding, but I am not quite sure," he said.

On the other hand, Mafume said the money would be received by the "MDC, these will be party funds and will be remitted as is required by law".