MDC Renewal vows to soldier on

The 21 MDC Renewal MPs who were recently expelled from Parliament say it is back to the drawing board for them as they ponder their political future outside the august house.

Some of the MPs who spoke to The Standard last week however pledged to continue working for the Renewal Team and push for electoral reforms outside Parliament.

Former Kambuzuma MP Willias Madzimure said he would remain a Renewal member and remain in the trenches for the democratisation of Zimbabwe.

Renewal Team Youth Assembly leader and former Dzivaresekwa MP Solomon Madzore said he would continue in the struggle, as defined by the clear ideology that the Renewal Team had taken.

The MDC Renewal, just like most other opposition parties, is boycotting the June 10 by-elections for 14 of the 21 seats left vacant following the expulsion of the MPs.

Meanwhile, MDC Renewal treasurer-general Elton Mangoma said his party would concentrate on consolidating its structures, preparing for its inaugural congress and building alliances and coalitions with other political parties in the wake of the ConCourt decision that upheld their ejection from Parliament.

The party had been working on setting up provincial and district structures across the country since it split from the MDC-T in April 2014.

Mangoma said the party was exploring further options of building coalitions and alliances.

The Renewal Team last year entered into a memorandum of understanding to unite with the Welshman Ncube-led MDC by August this year. To that end the parties are doing membership and structure audits in preparation for the joint congress. Before the congress, each party will hold its own "take note" congress around May or June this year.

Mangoma further stated that the opposition should not lose focus that the main prize was contesting and winning the 2018 general elections.