Evil spirits blamed for MDC-T infighting

MDC-T guardian council elder Norman Mabhena says the opposition party is haunted by evil spirits which have caused the infighting over leadership positions.

Mabhena has appealed for party leader Morgan Tsvangirai and his erstwhile secretary-general Tendai Biti to bury the hatchet saying it was puzzling how MDC-T was so prone to splits.

"They have been together in the trenches for years and they cannot just sign divorce papers just like that," he told Southern Eye in an interview.

"In Ndebele we say kulemimoya kulel' ibandla (there are evil spirits in this party) and it's true with MDC-T.

"How do you explain it that these young people are no longer talking to each other?

"People (who sacrificed for MDC-T) are turning in their graves now because of these young people who are not finding each other for selfish gains," Mabhena said.

"To me it's not a split, it's just a misunderstanding between the president and his secretary-general and I still regard them as one party. As elders (guardian council) we are trying to reunite and even at individual level, but they are not finding each other. They are not taking us as elders seriously.

"They were now engaging us as the guardian council. Now some people feel we should be involved.

"We now need to engage other people to assist us. It is very necessary that we unite them, but the present breed does not worry about the people. They only concentrate on power."

Mabhena said the warring had now confused the grassroots as they no longer knew who to follow.

He said the proposed opposition parties' grand coalition was doomed to fail in view of continued divisions.

Several senior MDC-T members led by Biti, Elton Mangoma and Samuel Sipepa Nkomo broke away from Tsvangirai after they called on him to step down as leader.

Indications are that the MDC-T will split for the second time since its formation in 1999 following the 2005 fallout over the senate.