Why do Zimbabwean opposition parties split so much?

A political commentator and former MDC-T leader's legal adviser Alex Magaisa has questioned as to why the opposition parties resort to splitting there by giving credence to Zanu-PF which even if there are squabbles in it it remains one party.

"... A year ago, a group of senior leaders and their followers left the MDC-T, the main opposition party, to form what they called MDC Renewal Team. There was a lot of talking and a lot of shouting," he said. "Then things got quieter. And then last week, things got rather noisy. Some scandal here and some violence there. And suspensions along the way, all captured in dramatic language that you would normally find in the realm of student politics."

He said this week (last week), not even before the MDC Renewal Team has held a long-promised Congress, a group led by one of its senior officials, Elton Mangoma left.

"A statement was issued announcing Mangoma's suspension. The next day Mangoma announced that he and others had formed their own party, which they are calling the Renewal Democrats of Zimbabwe. Yet another opposition party resulting from a split. A split from a splinter group. Like a colleague said, it's now like a virus called The Oppositio," he said.

"I thought of Mnangagwa as I read the news of Mangoma's new party and imagined him with yet another smirk, saying to his chums, "I told you so. They have split again, now they have MDC-Mangoma!" He once claimed that God loves Zanu-PF, attracting severe criticism from the corner of believers, but on reflection some might have to admit that he had a point. Why not, with the opposition seemingly self-destructing at a time when they should be taking advantage of Zanu-PF's woes?"

He said Mangoma's new outfit adds to the swarm of opposition political parties seemingly flying in all directions, colliding with others along the way.

"But why do opposition parties split so much? Why do opposition politicians go off to form political parties as soon as they are dissatisfied with their colleagues?" said Magaisa.

"This is, perhaps, an understudied subject in our politics, probably one that must occupy able minds in the field of political science. Here we attempt only a rudimentary analysis of the causes of splits."

Magaisa said of particular interest is how by comparison, Zanu-PF has managed to avoid similar splits as we have seen in the opposition in its much shorter history.

He said Vice President Emmerson  Mnangagwa recently said there is a difference between MDC-T and Zanu-PF and quoted him as saying,

"There is one major difference between Zanu-PF and MDC," said Emmerson Mnangagwa, the Vice President of Zanu-PF and Zimbabwe, at a recent by-election rally.

"Zanu-PF fires while the MDC splits. Look now we have about five MDCs, MDC Tsvangirai, MDC Mutambara, MDC 99, and MDC Biti. So MDC splits and Zanu-PF fires."

Magainsa said Mnangagwa  must have had a smug face as he said those words, and that proud smirk, taunting the opposition, but at the same time speaking an uncomfortable truth.

"Opposition supporters won't have liked the sound of it, but with a party being formed before you can say the ‘D' in the MDC, it's hard to ignore the statement.  We are at that point now where the image in the public consciousness is of an opposition that is forever fighting small internal battles or creating smaller and smaller entities, each claiming to be the solution," said Magaisa.