Underestimate 'genius' Welshman Ncube at your own peril - Wikileaks

A year after Welshman Ncube assumed the presidency of the smaller Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party from Arthur Mutambara, there is no sign of complacency in the man.

Ncube was described in Wiki-Leaks cables by the former US envoy to Zimbabwe, Christopher Dell, as a "genius, who is highly divisive and must be taken off the stage".

He seems even more determined to remain a key player in Zimbabwe's politics and lead his party in elections expected this year.

At his party offices in Bulawayo, the MDC leader charted the way forward for his party leadership when attending a strategic planning meeting.

None of the party leaders here - among them the outspoken secretary-general Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga - seem to revel in the marginal successes scored in 2011, and Ncube tells his troops that the new year will be a "turning point" for Zimbabwe.

He urges them to prepare for the political battle ahead. Ncube is 50 years old and is the youngest in the political contest that will see President Robert Mugabe, who turns 88 next month, square off against his long-time rival Morgan Tsvangirai, 59.

In political circles, Ncube's relative youthfulness has seen him brushed aside as a rookie, with little prospect of causing an upset in the upcoming elections.

Yet his vigorous campaigns in several provinces last year - among them traditional Zanu-PF and MDC-T strongholds, such as Manicaland, Mashonaland, Midlands and Matabeleland provinces. He kept his political rivals guessing.

His high court victory last December, which gave him the lawful right to assume the post of deputy prime minister (DPM) was a crucial endorsement in the light of the perceived isolation he has received from Mugabe and Tsvangirai.

In an interview with the Sunday Times this week, Ncube conceded that the two political rivals had "teamed up" against him to block his rise to the post of DPM. "This is just one of those rare times that Mugabe and Tsvangirai have agreed over something. I don't know what their reasons and motivations are ... but I have not bought into the argument that I am being sidelined because of my ethnicity. I think the two men feel threatened that my political star is rising."

He added: "Since Mugabe is the one who swears people into office, he could still refuse to swear me in despite the high court judgment, just like what we saw happen with Roy Bennett".

The court decision dealt a blow to Mutambara, party president, who was ordered to vacate the post and make way for Ncube.

On Mutambara's continued refusal to step aside, Ncube said: "Mutambara is irrelevant to Zimbabwe's politics and he can hold on to the position for as long as he likes ... but the looming new political dispensation means he will be off the political stage once and for all. Even the members of parliament who have refused to recognise my presidency are just biding time in their support for Mutambara."

Meanwhile, Ncube conceded that the country was not yet ready to hold elections, as it had failed to implement the election roadmap put in place by the Southern African Development Community, with the political landscape still favouring a victory for Mugabe's Zanu-PF.

"It's been a difficult transition that the country has been in, but right now we are sitting on a momentous edge and we need to go forward one way or the other," said Ncube.