MDC to abolish open palm symbol

MDC Renewal Team led by Tendai Biti is set to rebrand the party by discarding the traditional open palm symbol and adopting orange as its official colour among a host of new features to be embraced before the inaugural congress set for March next year.

The team's spokesperson Jacob Mafume, said he would not divulge other changes because consultations were still underway.

He said they would dispose of all disciplinary cases, including those involving party leader Morgan Tsvangirai before filling the posts.

The MDC renewal team formally laid down disciplinary charges against  Tsvangirai last week, a development he has since dismissed.

Mafume said his party was consulting its structures on how to rebrand, but the colour orange was resonating well among the rank and file of their supporters and was likely to be adopted.

"We will have our congress in March when we will look at rebranding the party and until that congress is held the status quo would be maintained," he said.

"We are renewing and we are looking at all aspects. There are certain things that will have to be discarded, while others would be maintained."

Mafume said a cocktail of new features would be unveiled during their congress and would be used once adopted.

"The significance of the colour orange is that of a rising sun," he said.

"It gives an image of a new birth. It is a colour that has been used by a lot of pro-democracy movements."

Mafume said they were not being influenced by Kenya's opposition party leader  Raila Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement, which adopted orange as its main colour. Although Mafume could not confirm on whether or not they would maintain the open palm symbol, sources within the camp said they would disregard it.

"Other issues that are coming out in our consultation is the desire to be a pan-African party, the issue of ideological rethinking in terms of how we redefine our social democrat movement and how we engage," said Mafume.

He said the focus at the moment was to dispose of all disciplinary cases facing suspended party leadership whom he said included Tsvangirai.

"We still have a process of disciplinary hearings," said Mafume.

"With respect to this issue, the emphasis is that due process must be followed. We cannot fill in posts until due processes have been concluded."

Mafume said his faction would file opposing papers to an application filed by Tsvangirai's faction at the High Court asking to be declared the legitimate owners of the party and have all party properties under its control.

Tsvangirai's faction also wants a meeting held at Mandel Training Centre by Biti's faction at which Tsvangirai and other senior party officials were suspended to be declared null and void.

Mafume said by approaching the High Court with the relief he is seeking, Tsvangirai was acknowledging that indeed a national council that saw him being booted out of office was legitimately convened.

"We will respond within the time stipulated through our lawyers, that is within 10 days and the action by the Tsvangirai camp is bad at law," he said.

"What it means is that they have acknowledged that the Mandel meeting occurred and the MDC did meet and came up with resolutions that bind them until set aside by a court."

The Tsvangirai camp had also filed a lawsuit claiming properties of the party that include 120 vehicles and party offices that include Harvest House, the party's head office.

In their court papers, the Tsvangirai faction alleged that Biti, party deputy treasurer Elton Mangoma and party coordinator Fortune Gwaze were appointed directors of Laphonic Investments, a firm that was formed to ensure the security of the party's assets.

They refused to step down in February to pave way for new directors and this means the disposal of the properties cannot done without their consent.