Ngqabutho Mabhena resigns from the MDC

The vocal Ngqabutho Nicholas Mabhena based in South Africa has resigned from the MDC led by Welshman Ncube after the formation of their new political party Zimbabwe Communist Party in which he is now the secretary general.

In a Facebook post Mabhena said on the afternoon of 3rd May 2017 he  made one of the hardest decisions of my political life.

"As l sat on the bus from Bulawayo to Johannesburg, l wrote my resignation letter to the MDC Secretary General informing her of my decision to resign my membership of the MDC. I had joined the MDC in September 1999 when it was officially launched at Rufaro stadium. Before then, we worked hard with the likes of Cde Austin Moyo, Dr Morgan Sebele , Cde Danisa Zulu , Cde Linda Mthimkhulu , Dr Lawrence Mbobo (who then decided not to join the MDC )towards the formation of the MDC," he said.

"I had joined the MDC , a year after l was recruited into Communism by the then SACP spokesman Cde Mazibuko K Jaha and Cde Molly Dlamini (a trade unionist and a Communist). During my years in the MDC, l worked closely with comrades from the Keep Left, the likes of Cde Trevor Ngwane, Prof Patrick Bond , Cde Claire and others. We used to invite Prof Welshman Ncube in our Keep Left meetings but over the years, l was drawn closer to the SACP , attending its political study groups , Communist University."

He said over the years, he had always wanted to participate in the formation of the Zimbabwe Communist Party which was to be in alliance with the united MDC, unfortunately our movement split in 2005 when some of our leaders were hijacked by white commercial farmers.

"When we went to the MDC congress in 2006, we had to reclaim our movement as Pan Africanist in character ,when the congress was held under the theme, 'My Zimbabwe, My Pride , Our Heritage'. Unfortunately, our then President Prof Arthur Mutambara failed to articulate our political message to an extent that, we were not understood and were labeled stooges of Zanu (PF). This misunderstanding cost us the support from the working class who had to stick with MDC-T," he said.

"After the 2013 elections, it became clear to me that, for us to win both the urban and rural electorate and expose Zanu (PF) for what it is, was to challenge it ideologically. This would have required us to transform the MDC into a socialist movement or a political movement biased to the left. Given that the MDC is home to various class interests and it had to stick to Social Democracy, some of us started to work towards the formation of the vanguard of the working class in Zimbabwe. The Zimbabwe Communist Party was officially launched on the 3rd May 2017 and l was left with no option but to resign my membership of the MDC."

"I have no hard feelings towards the leadership and the entire membership of the MDC. In fact, l respect the political leadership of Prof Welshman Ncube, an organic intellectual in his own right. Normally, when people resign from parties, they tend to trade insults and make all manner of accusations. With me, it is different. If the MDC allowed dual membership like the ANC/SACP, l would have resigned from my position in the MDC and remained a card carrying member," he added.

He said to his comrades in the MDC, you are not my enemies but we need to work towards the building of a socialist Zimbabwe, where the means of production will be owned by society as a whole.