Doubts over MDC-T regaining its popularity

Some social and political commentators have expressed mixed feelings and hopes over the MDC-T regaining the popularity it had in the formative stages when it gave the ruling Zanu PF torrid time during elections due to its continued fragmentations and failure by its leaders to co-exist with varying ideas and views in the same party.

The developments come at a time when the MDC has split into three groups now at the time when the opposition political parties were expected to unity ahead of elections in order to fight and defeat Zanu PF.

First to pull out of the original MDC was Welshman Ncube and the late party vice president Gibson Sibanda and many others. Last year Tendai Biti and Elton Mangoma and other pulled out of the party top form their MDC Renewal Team which also appears to be embroiled in a power wrangle and is in the verge of prematurely collapsing.

All the three MDCs have a habit of boycotting the elections in the name of fighting for electoral reforms without consulting the electorate. They recently boycotted the Chirumanzu-Zibagwe and Mt Darwin by-elections and are thrweatening to boycott the by-elections in the 14 seats which were left vacant after the MDC-T filed for a parliamentary recall of the members who defected to form the MDC Renewal.

A social commentator Ngqabutho Mabhena said the MDC was formed in September 1999, and 9 months latter it nearly caused a political upset by winning 57 out of 120 contested seats.

"I believe there is still time to win the 2018 elections," he said. "Only a broad formation or coalition agreed upon in September 2017 stands a good chance of winning an election in March 2018. What is critical now is to unite the working class around a common agenda."

He said those formally employed, unemployed, those in the informal sector are the majority and understand the nature of struggle and would say no to cult leadership being practiced in Zimbabwe.

"Am sure they constitute the majority including people like the Diasporan," he said. "Thus the working class I am talking about. There is hope it's a question of understanding the nature of our struggle and say NO to cult leadership."

Another analyst Mandla Mkwananzi said Mabhena was  reading an old text book that has long expired and questioned what percentage was the working class in Zimbabwe?

Abramiah Mponda said the golden age of opposition politics was squandered on the altar by opposition leaders motivated by selfish interests and essentially, ideologically bankrupt but with super egos.

"lts a misrepresentation that Zimbabweans  are cowards," he said. "They followed the democratic route and created MDC which was divided by its leaders whole frailties destroyed a people 's project. lt's difficult to talk of another people's project with less than 10% work force who are the real engines of change. All has been squandered and lost and how will Zimbabwean find hope?"

The majority of commentators said considering the fragmentations in the three MDCs themselves not talking about them uniting which appears to be far from being achieved chances were fast and seriously dwindling for the opposition to garner support like it used to get as from year 2000 to 2008.

They said chances were high that the opposition parties will be thwarted with wide margins by Zanu PF in the 2018 elections if they do not adjust and mend their difference to fight the democratic war together.