Biti, Mangoma in near fistfight

A fierce fight has reportedly erupted between MDC Renewal Team interim secretary-general Tendai Biti and treasurer-general Elton Mangoma over control of the party with sources saying the two politicians nearly exchanged blows last Thursday during a national working committee meeting in Harare, the Newsday reported.

The meeting, party sources said, later resolved to hold an early national elective congress to end the simmering factional fights.

The opposition party has been under the caretaker leadership of its guardian council headed by chairperson Sekai Holland since last year when its leaders broke ranks with the Morgan Tsvangirai-led MDC-T.

However, the membership still believes that the de facto leaders were Biti and Mangoma.

The leadership fights allegedly intensified with the expulsion of Biti and 20 others from Parliament a fortnight ago and members now view this as an opportunity to deal with the leadership question decisively.  

The fight between Biti and Mangoma for leadership came again under the spotlight at Thursday's meeting where some Biti allies accused Mangoma of campaigning for the presidency ahead of the congress to the detriment of the party, an insider said.

It was then agreed that a congress should be held soon, between end of June and early October this year, to out to bring to finality the question of leadership.