MDC, MDC-Renewal team urged to unite

THE Welshman Ncube-led MDC has been urged by its members to accelerate the reunification process with the MDC-Renewal, as it has embarked on a nationwide outreach programme to consult and update it structures on the negotiations.

MDC spokesperson Nhlanhla Dube recently said the party held consultative meetings with its structures throughout the country and members were satisfied with the current progress.

"This follows several consultations the leadership has made with provincial chairpersons and national executive members over the last few months leading to the first joint national executive committees meeting of the MDC and MDC-Renewal a fortnight ago," he said.

"The joint meeting of the national leadership acknowledged the progress made in the negotiations and urged for greater speed in the consultations towards full and complete reunification of the two parties."

Dube said the outreach programme was being rolled out throughout the provinces, before finalisation of an agreement.

"The leadership has already met with Bulawayo, Chitungwiza, Harare, Masvingo, Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South and Mashonaland West provincial structures, which have expressed satisfaction with the progress thus far and urged the expeditious conclusion of the talks," he said.

Dube said the reunification of the two parties would result in the "consolidation of skill, energy and resolve for the purpose of creating solutions for the economic uplifting of Zimbabwe".

"The parties will continue to actively engage with other like-minded democrats, who include Zapu, MKD and NCA, the Zimbabwean Diaspora community, professionals, civil society and churches for the purposes of forming a broader coalition of democrats," he said.

The MDCs are reportedly convening under the Coalition for Democrats (Code), with the two parties expected to formally announce their union at the end of the month.

The new party is expected to be called the United Movement for Democratic Change (UMDC).

However, one of the parties to the coalition, Zapu, has accused MDC-Renewal of trying to destroy its structures.

In October, MDC and MDC-Renewal signed a memorandum of understanding, as talks for a broader grand coalition gathered pace.

The agreement was signed by the two secretary-generals of the MDC and the MDC-Renewal Team, Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga and Tendai Biti respectively.

In recent weeks, both parties declared that it was not possible for an individual political party to dislodge Mugabe and Zanu-PF alone and called on all the country's democratic forces to put their heads together.

The parties said the objective of the re-unification was based on a common history, bond and the origins of MDC, as formed in 1999.