Tsvangirai extends begging bowl to the British

MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai has extended a begging bowl to the British to raise funds for his beleaguered party amid reports that the divided political party is now in a financial crisis.

Mr Tsvangirai, who was in the United Kingdom at the invitation of the Royal Institution of International Affairs also known as Chatham House, to speak on the situation in Zimbabwe, took the visit as an opportunity to beg for funding, resulting in a fundraising dinner held on Saturday night.

In a statement, Mr Tsvangirai's spokesman Mr Luke Tamborinyoka said Mr Tsvangirai addressed party supporters in Birmingham before attending the fundraising dinner.

"Later, the (MDC-T) president, who is accompanied on the UK trip by his wife and officials from his office, was last night part of a fundraising dinner in Birmingham. The dinner was meant to raise funds for the party back home," said Mr Tamborinyoka.

Addressing a handful of supporters in Birmingham on Friday, Mr Tsvangirai vowed not to concede defeat in the 2013 harmonised elections, saying only dialogue without pre-conditions will solve the challenges facing the country.

Mr Tamborinyoka quoted Mr Tsvangirai as saying:

"If they think I will concede defeat, they are deluding themselves because everyone knows last year's election was stolen. I will not do it. Everyone knows that election was stolen."

According to Mr Tamborinyoka's statement, Mr Tsvangirai told the gathering that he was still the leader of the MDC-T and that an attempt by the Biti-led faction to remove him from power was illegal.

He quoted Mr Tsvangirai as saying: "Ambition is not criminal but there are rules. It is only congress that removes and installs leaders in the MDC . . ."

Mr Tamborinyoka said Mr Tsvangirai also held an hour-long meeting with the Lord Mayor of Birmingham where they discussed the various areas of co-operation, including the possibility of twinning arrangements between the city of Birmingham and some of the cities in Zimbabwe run by MDC-led councils.

In Bulawayo last week Mr Tsvangirai publicly admitted that the party's traditional donors had stopped funding and urged party members to fund their own activities.

Western embassies reportedly dumped the MDC-T and preferred funding the Renewal Team led by Mr Tendai Biti.

Mr Tsvangirai has reportedly been facing financial challenges with one of the cases being the "escape" from Trauma Centre Hospital without settling medical bills amounting to US$2 600.