Tsvangirai faces MDC-T rebellion

MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai faces a rebellion if he decides to boycott the impending by elections as some senior members in his party eye constituencies left vacant following Parliament's decision to expel 17 MDC Renewal Team members from the National Assembly on Tuesday.

The Speaker of the assembly Jacob Mudenda said he was expelling the MPs after confirming that there was no longer any dispute in the courts concerning the leadership of the party, a decision that has sparked a fresh fight over party assets and properties between the two rival MDC factions.

The MDC-T has a standing resolution reached at its congress last year to boycott all elections following its disastrous performance in the 2013 general elections.The party insists that it will not participate in any elections until the so called reforms to the country's electoral system are implemented.

Sources yesterday told The Chronicle that senior party members are eyeing the seats and the party's National Council was likely to sit in the coming weeks to review the situation.

They added that there was a push for Tsvangirai to also stand in the parliamentary polls, an idea he was said to be open to.

Tsvangirai last ran for Parliament in 2000, when he was drubbed in Buhera by the late Zanu-PF lawmaker Kenneth Manyonda and has also lost in successive polls as a presidential candidate.

Sources said there was a risk that if the party blocked participation of its members in by elections, there would be a rebellion as happened in October 2005 when the party first split.

Then, Tsvangirai went against the party's decision to participate in Senate elections and a number of senior members who include professor Welshman Ncube, Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga, Paul Themba Nyathi and the late Gibson Sibanda parted ways with him to lead a rival MDC faction.

"There are vultures already circling over those constituencies and it would be suicidal for Tsvangirai to block participation. We must also redeem ourselves as we can't be seen to have caused the expulsion to benefit Zanu-PF," said a senior MDC-T member.

MDC spokesperson Obert Gutu yesterday said they were bound by the congress resolution not to participate which he claimed was still binding, but added that their national Council can act otherwise.

"We've a congress resolution still in force and that resolution can only be set aside, altered or amended by the national council which is the highest decision making organ between congress," said Gutu.

He said that following the Speaker's ruling, it was clear that they were the legitimate party hence the Renewal Team must return all party property that is under its custody.

He said they will use the legal processes to recover the property. "Those people are no longer part of the MDC. There are moves already to make sure that the assets are returned to the party," said Gutu.

However, MDC Renewal spokesperson Jacob Mafume scoffed at the threat to take the assets saying the speaker's ruling did not have anything to do with the party's property. "The speaker isn't a court, why should we entertain such a statement? In his ruling he didn't deal with the issue of property," said Mafume.