News / National
'Tsvangirai is like Idi Amin allegations,' MDC-T will not comment
15 Nov 2014 at 12:20hrs | Views
Newly-elected MDC-T spokesperson Obert Gutu says his party will not comment on the likening of its leader to deposed former African dictators Idi Amin and Mobutu Sese Seko because they are busy with pressing national issues.
Gutu said Zimbabwe's unemployment figures had hit 90% and any opposition party worth its salt should be preoccupied with finding ways of improving the lives of its people than look at what is happening at the other party.
"We are ceased with national issues, we want to implement the resolutions of our just ended congress and focus on issues affecting Zimbabweans," Gutu said in an interview with The Zimbabwe Mail this week.
Industries in most towns, particularly Bulawayo, have closed down and there is need to revive them, said Gutu.
"Bulawayo was the industrial hub of the region; this country was the bread basket of the region and we have to find ways to restore that."
"And more seriously, we need to extricate Zanu-PF which has caused untold suffering of Zimbabweans. There is need to restore the dignity of Zimbabweans who have been reduced to beggars in other countries," said Gutu.
About four million Zimbabweans are believed to have left the country in search of employment in other countries. Of these, almost three million are believed to be in South Africa.
The Zanu-PF government has, however, blamed the country's economic strife to illegal economic sanctions imposed on the country after its land reforms that sought to redress the land distribution imbalance which saw 4 000 whites controlling 75% of arable land.
Majority blacks occupied mostly unproductive land in semi-arid sections of the country.
However, with all economic odds against it, the Zanu-PF government has held its own against the opposition, capping electoral victories with a landslide in 2013 that resulted in some MDC-T members calling for the ouster of Tsvangirai.
The leadership impasse resulted in the formation of MDC renewal team which on Monday said the just ended MDC-T elective congress reflected how Tsvangirai had become "just another Idi Amin", intolerant to challenge, personalising a movement and a hypocrite who preaches what he does not practice.
The renewal team spokesperson Jacob Mafume said during the elective congress that Tsvangirai had descended into the arena to ensure that his henchmen prevailed during the elections.
Mafume also alleged that Tsvangirai manipulated the elections to surround himself with those pre-occupied by "praising and worshipping" the former prime minister who was centralising power, a development that saw the split of Welshman Ncube, Tendai Biti and Elton Mangoma now in different formations of the MDC.
Mafume said Tsvangirai presented no alternative to the Zimbabwean population as he had already shown his dictatorial tendencies and was even worse than Zanu-PF. The MDC-T circus would strengthen the renewal team, said Mafume.
But Gutu had this to say, ''We cannot look at the renewal but we want to look at removing Zanu-PF which has destroyed the country."
The ruling party, however, argues that it has not destroyed the economy but the illegal sanctions imposed by the west on Zimbabwe over the land reform are ones which have adversely affected the economy.
It has crafted the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation blueprint to revive the economy.
Gutu said Zimbabwe's unemployment figures had hit 90% and any opposition party worth its salt should be preoccupied with finding ways of improving the lives of its people than look at what is happening at the other party.
"We are ceased with national issues, we want to implement the resolutions of our just ended congress and focus on issues affecting Zimbabweans," Gutu said in an interview with The Zimbabwe Mail this week.
Industries in most towns, particularly Bulawayo, have closed down and there is need to revive them, said Gutu.
"Bulawayo was the industrial hub of the region; this country was the bread basket of the region and we have to find ways to restore that."
"And more seriously, we need to extricate Zanu-PF which has caused untold suffering of Zimbabweans. There is need to restore the dignity of Zimbabweans who have been reduced to beggars in other countries," said Gutu.
About four million Zimbabweans are believed to have left the country in search of employment in other countries. Of these, almost three million are believed to be in South Africa.
The Zanu-PF government has, however, blamed the country's economic strife to illegal economic sanctions imposed on the country after its land reforms that sought to redress the land distribution imbalance which saw 4 000 whites controlling 75% of arable land.
Majority blacks occupied mostly unproductive land in semi-arid sections of the country.
However, with all economic odds against it, the Zanu-PF government has held its own against the opposition, capping electoral victories with a landslide in 2013 that resulted in some MDC-T members calling for the ouster of Tsvangirai.
The leadership impasse resulted in the formation of MDC renewal team which on Monday said the just ended MDC-T elective congress reflected how Tsvangirai had become "just another Idi Amin", intolerant to challenge, personalising a movement and a hypocrite who preaches what he does not practice.
The renewal team spokesperson Jacob Mafume said during the elective congress that Tsvangirai had descended into the arena to ensure that his henchmen prevailed during the elections.
Mafume also alleged that Tsvangirai manipulated the elections to surround himself with those pre-occupied by "praising and worshipping" the former prime minister who was centralising power, a development that saw the split of Welshman Ncube, Tendai Biti and Elton Mangoma now in different formations of the MDC.
Mafume said Tsvangirai presented no alternative to the Zimbabwean population as he had already shown his dictatorial tendencies and was even worse than Zanu-PF. The MDC-T circus would strengthen the renewal team, said Mafume.
But Gutu had this to say, ''We cannot look at the renewal but we want to look at removing Zanu-PF which has destroyed the country."
The ruling party, however, argues that it has not destroyed the economy but the illegal sanctions imposed by the west on Zimbabwe over the land reform are ones which have adversely affected the economy.
It has crafted the Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation blueprint to revive the economy.
Source - Zim Mail
