Welshman Ncube ready to work with Tsvangirai

The Welshman Ncube-led MDC has said it is ready to work with Morgan Tsvangirai and any other party "opposed to President Robert Mugabe's policies".

While the party's spokesperson, Kurauone Chihwayi, refused to be drawn into the on-going opposition parties' grand coalition debate, he said his party was "prepared to work with like-minded forces".

"We are ready to work with Tsvangirai's MDC in an arrangement that will liberate Zimbabwe. There is a difference between working with Tsvangirai's party and joining him. Ncube is ready to work with Tsvangirai," he said.

"The MDC is prepared to work with any political party opposed to Robert Mugabe's policies and leadership style and the MDC-T (Tsvangirai-led MDC) is not an exception," Chihwayi said.

Asked about the idea to audit political parties prior to the establishment of the grand coalition - as recently suggested by Norton legislator, Temba Mliswa - Chihwayi seemed to have reservations.

"While it is a good idea to know each other, it is not wise to start throwing some small or funny parties out of the dining room now," he said.

"A genuine and serious arrangement will certainly flush and expose bogus characters masquerading as political principals. We cannot talk about coalition leadership or composition now. What is clear is that the Coalition of Democrats is growing daily and a number of political parties are coming on board," he said.

Last week, Mliswa called for an audit of all opposition parties to gauge numbers before entering into a grand coalition.

But above all, Mliswa called for Ncube, PDP leader Tendai Biti, RDZ president Elton Mangoma to "come back home" and re-join Tsvangirai.

However, Biti has since made it clear that he will never go back to his former party unless on a collation arrangement.

Chihwayi suggested that it was wise for all opposition political parties to start working on a bigger political project that will free Zimbabwe from decades of Zanu PF hegemony.

Ever since an acrimonious split of the MDC in 2005, relations between Tsvangirai and Ncube remained prickly with both politicians exchanging barbs.

Ncube has in the past accused Tsvangirai of being dictatorial while on the other hand, Tsvangirai has labelled Ncube a "village politician".