Tsvangirai ditches Mujuru?

THE rift between MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai and embattled National People's Party leader Dr Joice Mujuru widened yesterday after the former unveiled his preferred partners for the perceived opposition coalition at a low-key gathering that was meant to translate into a mega anti-Government demonstration, the Herald reported.

Conspicuous by her absence was Dr Mujuru who, on Tuesday, lashed out at Mr Tsvangirai in apparent frustration saying the MDC-T leader owed her and her late husband General Solomon Mujuru a debt of gratitude for engineering his first round lead over President Mugabe in 2008 presidential elections through the self-defeating protest vote/bhora musango/ibhola eganéni where they urged party supporters to vote for a Zanu-PF councillor, House of Assembly member and Senator then Mr Tsvangirai for president.

Bhora musango divided the Zanu-PF vote, resulting in Mr Tsvangirai garnering 48 percent of the vote in the first round to President Mugabe's 43 percent. This, however, was way below the Constitutional threshold, which required a winner to garner 50 percent plus one of the votes cast to guarantee victory.

A run-off was called where Mr Tsvangirai was soundly routed with Zanu-PF supporters turning out en masse to give President Mugabe 86 percent of the vote.

During a flopped National Electoral Reform Agenda (Nera) meeting called to protest alleged takeover of Biometric Voter Registration equipment by Government held in Harare yesterday, Mr Tsvangirai unveiled his new working partners who excluded Dr Mujuru.

The leadership of Dr Mujuru's party said they were too busy to attend the Nera meeting, prioritising an internal gathering to prepare for their elections on Saturday.

Among those who turned up for the Nera meeting were Messrs Didymus Mutasa (Zimbabwe People First), Jacob Ngarivhume (Transform Zimbabwe), Tendai Biti (People's Democratic Party), Cosmos Muponda (Freedom Front), Farai Mbira (Zimbabweans United for Democracy), Marcellina Chikasha (African Democratic Party), Barbra Nyagomo (Progressive Democrats of Zimbabwe) and Zanu Ndonga that was represented by Ms Sifiso Sithole.

Mr Tsvangirai also roped in leaders of hashtag groups, among them Mr Evan Mawarire of #Thisflag, Mr Promise Mkwananzi of #Tajamuka and members of the Zimbabwe National Students Union, as part of his working partners.

The Herald is reliably informed that there was a boiling tussle between Dr Mujuru and Mr Tsvangirai on who should lead the coalition.

Although the battle is still playing out at boardroom level, Dr Mujuru seemed to have lost it after leaders of all little-known parties that attended yesterday's meeting endorsed Mr Tsvangirai as the natural leader of the coalition.

Among those who confirmed Mr Tsvangirai's candidature was expelled Zanu-PF secretary for Administration and now ZimPF elder Mr Mutasa.

Mr Mutasa, who finished his entire speech waving a clenched fist, a symbol used by Zanu-PF, said: "We have been working for a long time to remove this Government from power.

"I was the first one to endorse (Mr) Tsvangirai as the leader for our coalition."

Organisers of the meeting asked several times if there was any representative of the NPP to give a solidarity message, but no one showed up. Asked for a comment, NPP spokesperson Mr Jealousy Mawarire said: "We were ably represented by party supporters, while our leadership was busy preparing for our internal party elections on Saturday 25 March, 2017.

"Our people, the most important stakeholders in our organisation, took part in the demonstration and our youth wing, through our able youth leader Farai Kuvheya mobilised our supporters to participate in the demonstration."

The Nera meeting, which was highly touted in the private media as a mega demonstration, was a monumental flop as usual after people snubbed it, choosing to go about their daily business in the capital.

Further, Nera members also failed to meet conditions set out by the police and approached the High Court seeking a relaxation of the conditions, but inquiries by this paper showed that the matter was yet to be decided by late afternoon yesterday.

The police restricted Nera members to the Robert Mugabe Square where the conveners addressed a sparse crowd comprising of mainly MDC-T supporters.

In their addresses, Mr Tsvangirai and his newly found allies, took turns to denounce Zimbabwe Electoral Commission chairperson Justice Rita Makarau.

Mr Tsvangirai, who seemed to be promoting the riotous behaviour of his supporters said: "Today they (Government) said we should gather here as if we are foreigners. We are victims of this system for a very long time. As we go towards 2018, a watershed election, I want to assure you that zvakwana.

"I want to distinct between Zec and Government. Zec is an independent commission. Whatever limitation they have, they should accept that they have to act as a referee between various players."

Mr Farai Mbira of the Zimbabweans United for Democracy read out a cocktail of demands, which they said Zec should meet before the next election.

Among other issues, he said Nera was calling for the disbandment of Zec, the ouster of Justice Makarau and allow Sadc and the United Nations to form an outfit that should run the country's elections next year.

He said Government should also leave the procurement of BVR kits to the United Nations Development Programme.

Zapu member and chairperson of the Political Parties Dialogue Platform Mr Nketha Kutshwekaya who addressed a meeting between Zec and political parties on Tuesday said:

"They (Zec) said Government is not taking over BVR from Zec. All they are doing is to provide funding. But the process is still with Zec and political parties will be invited for the validation process."