Flyers against Tsvangirai fly in Matabeleland South

MDC-T is in turmoil in Matabeleland South after flyers denigrating party president Mr Morgan Tsvangirai and supporting his deputy, Ms Thokozani Khupe, were strewn at the party's provincial headquarters offices in Gwanda on Monday.

The flyers read "Mat South Asifuni Bumbulu, Khupe is right, no to MDC Alliance, Selfish Morgan."

Mr Tsvangirai is facing rebellion from a faction allegedly led by Ms Khupe, party chairman Mr Lovemore Moyo and suspended national organising secretary Mr Abednego Bhebhe over the MDC Alliance the party leader formed with six smaller parties.

Ms Khupe, Mr Moyo and Mr Bhebhe snubbed the MDC Alliance launch in Harare last month and in Bulawayo on Saturday.

The Matabeleland South executive also shunned the launch in Bulawayo and instead held a provincial meeting on Sunday denouncing the alliance.

Mr Tsvangirai was supposed to attend the meeting but party insiders said he chickened out at the 11th hour saying he was unwell.

Sources within the party said Mr Tsvangirai got information that he was going to be booed and violence might erupt at the meeting as disgruntled party members were baying from his blood.

MDC-T provincial spokesperson, Mr Mthokozisi Bhebhe confirmed holding the meeting but distanced party members from the flyers, accusing Zanu-PF and State security of distributing them.

"We don't know anything about the flyers. They were thrown along 6th Avenue but it's not our members who did that. It's the work of Zanu-PF and Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO). Everyone knows of what they are capable of doing. However, I can't divulge the agenda of the meeting because it's an internal matter. We will give a statement after we agree on how the alliance should be implemented," said Mr Bhebhe.

Matabeleland South MDC-T members were angered by the allocation of seven constituencies in the province to MDC led by Professor Welshman Ncube and three for their party.

Complaints over seat allocations are threatening the MDC Alliance with collapse.

Smaller parties that signed the electoral pact with MDC-T are complaining that they are getting a raw deal in allocation of parliamentary seats, a development that is fuelling divisions within parties and the alliance.

Ms Khupe and her allies argue that there is no need for the alliance to cover Matabeleland provinces as the opposition party can win on its own in the region.

During the alliance launch in Bulawayo on Saturday, Mr Tsvangirai accused Ms Khupe and her allies of trying to foment tribal divisions within the MDC-T.

He said leaders should put people first instead of their personal interests.