MDC Renewal national leadership holds strategic meeting

The MDC Renewal Team's national leadership last week held a two-day strategic workshop in Harare where it discussed a number of issues on the party and how best to deal with many challenges affecting the people of Zimbabwe.

The leadership resolved to continue with its programme of negotiating with other democrats in the country with the idea of forming a grand coalition of progressive forces that will form a united front to end the dictatorship of Zanu-PF.  The senior MDC Renewal Team officials were satisfied with the progress being made in the formation of the United Movement for Democratic Change (UMDC).

The UMDC proposal will result in the reunification of the MDC Renewal Team and the MDC and it is aimed in reuniting the party and upholding its values and principles made at the formation of the party in 1999.

The party leadership resolved to fight for the immediate realignment of the country's laws with the national Constitution as the delay was affecting the rights of the citizens.  

They also resolved not to take part in any future by-elections without the amendment of the Electoral Act and in ensuring that there is an updated voters' roll from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) that is available on softcopy among other key reforms.

The MDC Renewal Team's leadership also expressed dismay over the declining service delivery in government institutions and the local council authorities, the mis-governance of the economy and high unemployment levels linked to Zanu-PF's illegitimacy as the government of the day.  

The leadership noted that Zanu-PF's policy inconsistencies especially on the land and indigenisation were seriously affecting the economy and in failing to attract both internal and external investor confidence.

The MDC Renewal Team believes that every Zimbabwean must benefit from the land and indeed any other natural resources in Zimbabwe. As such, the land reform in its totality is irreversible. This position, was also proposed by Zimbabweans during the national constitutional process.

The new priority is now on ensuring that the resettled Zimbabweans are guaranteed of security of land tenure so as to propel development and for the farmers to have access to credit to improve on productivity. The new farmers must be assisted in accessing credit, inputs and in marketing of their produce.

On indigenisation, the leadership noted that the 51 percent local ownership structure is elitist in that it can only be accessed by those who are already rich and will be able to buy shares in targeted companies.

To that extent that the policies insinuate grabbing of companies with paying for the value of the 51 percent, the programme tends to scare away investors.

The current law on indigenisation must therefore be repealed.

The MDC Renewal Team leadership also noted that Zanu-PF is not doing anything to fight and stop corruption but is now using it as a tool to deal with its rival factions and in settling their personal disputes at the expense of the suffering citizens.

Therefore, the leadership was of the strong view that the only way to solve Zimbabwe's political, economic and social crises was through a robust and radical solution.

The MDC Renewal Team - Giving the people of Zimbabwe renewed hope and a servant leadership!!!


Jacob Mafume
National Spokesperson