'Tsvangirai must not be taken seriously,' says MDC

THE MDC led by Welshman Ncube yesterday expressed doubt on the seriousness of MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai's appeal to founding members of the original party who broke away to return.

Tsvangirai on Sunday pleaded with Ncube, MDC 99 leader Job Sikhala and National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) chairperson Lovemore Madhuku to return to the fold so they fight Zanu PF from a united front.

He also hinted that the MDC-T may hold an early elective congress to choose new leadership ahead of the 2018 general elections while addressing party supporters at a rally in Harare's Budiriro suburb.

But MDC spokesperson Nhlanhla Dube yesterday said his party did not take any calls for engagement made at a rally seriously, but said they were open to a coalition with other political parties through proper negotiations.

Dube said the MDC's standing committee resolutions of June 12 2013 acknowledged the public debate around the issue of a coalition among political parties and in so doing noted the party's resolutions made at congress on January 8 2011.

He said the resolution stated that the party remained open to working with democratic forces which shared its values in theory and in practice.

"These values which are sacrosanct include the abhorring of violence, respect and practice of collective decision-making," said Dube.

"The rejection of the politics of ethnic chauvinism; zero tolerance for corruption; disdain for the politics of patronage and abuse of public office and the rejection of the politics of deception.

"Such discussions would uphold the principle of mutual respect and negate the tendency of grandstanding and negotiating in the full glare of the public for purposes of mass public deception," Dube said.

He said when engagements are done, no political party that falls short of these requirements would receive consideration from his party.

"Political parties such as ours are institutions. As a way of institution to institution engagements, we expect the former prime minister to know how such institutions should engage each other," he said.

"There is no way that engagement could have just been done through a political rally. There are proper channels which he should follow. He has Professor Ncube's number; he has the party office numbers and must have contacted us through the phone."

Dube said as long as no formal approach has been made to his party leader, all Tsvangirai said would not be taken seriously.

"We do not communicate engagements through rallies," said Dube.

Ncube and Sikhala broke ranks with Tsvangirai after the 2005 MDC split and went on to form their own parties.

Madhuku disengaged the NCA from backing the MDC-T during the Copac constitution-making process. Sikhala has since said he was open to negotiation if Tsvangirai followed proper channels.

Madhuku said he would not comment on issues he had not been appraised of by Tsvangirai himself.