Factional war erupts in MLF after leadership dissolution

A BITTER factional war has erupted in the Mthwakazi Liberation Front (MLF) secessionist party after the dissolution of the executive pending an elective congress.

Last week, interim party spokesperson Ndabezinhle Fuyane announced that all MLF executives should pave way for new party leadership.

A taskforce chaired by Bonhomie Ndlovu and deputised by David Mpofu was appointed to lead the party's affairs as they prepared to choose new leadership.

But yesterday, MLF spokesperson Chrispen Nyoni, who is based in South Africa, came out guns blazing, attacking Fuyane and his cabal saying that they were misleading the nation.

"Fuyane claimed that the MLF leadership had been dissolved and replaced by what he called a ‘task team'. I must put it on record that we have no record of any person by the name of Ndabezinhle Fuyane being the spokesperson of MLF," Nyoni said.

He said Guduza was still the president of the party and the leadership was still intact.

"This Fuyane also fails the MLF membership test because in terms of Article 11.1.8, no person within the MLF may publish or distribute any information without the authorisation of the national executive council (NEC).

"This is because the powers and functions of the MLF are determined by its NEC. Crucially important too is that the elective congress that he mentions is convened by the decision of the same NEC upon the request of at least one third of the provinces consisting of paid-up members," he said.

Nyoni said there were no provisions in the MLF constitution for a task team.

"That one is just for an aggrieved collection of individuals who were ejected from MLF for different reasons known to themselves. In terms of Article 15 of the MLF constitution, the president is the face of the movement. The president oversees the movement's duties, upholds the decisions and defends the MLF constitution," he said.

"We are aware of three among the so-called task team who were members of the MLF until they were expelled for violating the MLF constitution. These are Thembani Mazinyane, who disappeared in 2015, Desire Dube who was expelled in 2016, and Andrea Sibanda, who was expelled in 2017."

MLF is known for burning the Zimbabwean flag in South Africa in 2011 demanding that the Matabeleland region should break away from the rest of the country.

At its inception, the party was led by Fidelis Ncube, popularly known as General Nandinandi, who is based in Botswana.

Ncube stepped down in March 2016 after authorities in Botswana blocked him from holding a political party position in another country since he has Botswana citizenship.

Churchill Guduza then took over the party leadership.