MDC-T executive members holding meetings to topple Tsvangirai

THE opposition MDC-T has threatened to take disciplinary action against some of its Chitungwiza provincial executive members accused of holding secret meetings with the party's losing candidates in a suspected plot to topple party leader Morgan Tsvangirai.

MDC-T secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora on January 16 this year, wrote to the executive members warning them against fanning factionalism.

"The congress delivered a verdict on the leadership and no one should tamper with that verdict," Mwonzora said yesterday. He added: "I am serious about what I wrote in the letter and we want discipline in the party and we shall have it.

"There was evidence of some leaders in the province trying to fan factionalism, hence the writing of the letter reminding them that it was a disciplinary issue."

In the letter, Mwonzora wrote: "By copy of this letter you are urgently advised to take the necessary steps and show leadership without which the party will be left with no option, but to invoke the relevant disciplinary actions dealing with the same."

However, one of the committee members scoffed at Mwonzora's threats saying they were meant to victimise party members who supported the losing candidates.

"We have been persecuted for supporting (former national organising secretary Nelson) Chamisa and Mwonzora wants his blue-eyed boys who funded his campaign to get back into the province," said an member who declined to be named.

Chamisa lost to Mwonzora in a tight contest for the secretary-general's post at the party's elective congress held end of October last year.

Last month, Tsvangirai held two meetings with Chitungwiza and Harare provincial executives where he also lashed out at factionalism, holding of illegal meetings and denigration of party leadership on social media platforms.

Meanwhile, MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai has backtracked from earlier claims of ownership of the National Convergence Platform (NCP) organised by churches, political parties and several stakeholders to find a lasting solution to the economic crisis the country was facing.

Tsvangirai appeared to have claimed that his party was organising the indaba and inviting stakeholders, a position widely condemned by the organisers amid reports that he was confronted by those planning the event to publicly clarify and set the record straight.

On Tuesday, MDC-T spokesperson Obert Gutu said the party was fully in support of "the national convergence to save Zimbabwe" organised by Bishop Sebastian Bakare and other conveners.

"The MDC-T heartily welcomes the announcement by the convener of the NCP, Bishop Sebastian Bakare, that a broad-based national indaba will soon be held in order to discuss and hopefully, find solutions to the myriad of challenges that confront Zimbabwe today," Gutu said.

"We are pleased to note that the proposed indaba will be open to all concerned citizens from political parties, churches, civic society, business organisations, women's groups, students, the unemployed as well as labour."

Gutu said they had always advocated an inclusive approach to tackling the various challenges facing the nation.

"Bishop Bakare should be applauded for boldly calling upon all concerned citizens of Zimbabwe to put their heads together in an endeavour to rescue our beloved country from the socio-economic and political hell-hole it finds itself in, thanks to decades of Zanu-PF corruption, misrule and misgovernance," Gutu said.

He said his party was enthusiastic about being invited to the indaba and expected concerned people to converge and deliberate for the good of the country.

Tsvangirai recently caused an uproar when he claimed his party would organise the convergence forcing conveners and other organisations to have him clarify the position as they were not open to a political party-driven convergence.