Elected MDC-T MPs vow to defy Tsvangirai

A number of MDC-T members who won in the National Assembly elections in Matabeleland have vowed to defy party leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai's directive for them to boycott Parliament.

The party was trashed by Zanu-PF in the just- ended harmonised elections, getting 49 seats to the revolutionary party's 160, with independent candidate Mr Jonathan Samukange winning the remaining seat in Mudzi.

Mr Tsvangirai, who lost the Presidential election by more than one million votes to President Mugabe, has said his party would not recognise the results citing irregularities in the polling process.

He said MDC-T would have nothing to do with a Government that was elected in an election that he claims as null and void.

However, in separate interviews yesterday, some of the party's winning candidates said they saw no reason why they should not go to Parliament to represent people who voted for them.

"Do not mention my name because I will be victimised. Between you and me, we are definitely going to Parliament. What would be the use of winning an election if you do not take up the post you were contesting for?" asked one of the candidates.

Another candidate said Mr Tsvangirai was being selfish and unfair.

"No one is going to boycott Parliament, even those who tell you otherwise. Tsvangirai is just being naïve and selfish. It would be unfair for those of us who won and the electorate who voted for us. He should be concentrating on a court battle where the party lost," said the candidate.

Mr Albert Mhlanga, the party's organising secretary for Bulawayo who won the National Assembly seat for Pumula Constituency, said the party leadership would meet to make a final decision on the matter.

However, Dr Samuel Sipepa Nkomo said he would follow the party's decision.

"I cannot speak personally, I am bound by the party's decision," said Dr Nkomo.

Sources close to the development have been quoted in the media suggesting Mr Tsvangirai was trying to block the MPs from going to Parliament because he feared the results had set the ground for MDC-T secretary-general Tendai Biti to take over the party's presidency.

Mr Tsvangirai reportedly fears that Mr Biti's grip on power would be strengthened if he goes to Parliament and continuously interacts with Government, something Mr Tsvangirai cannot do after losing.

MDC split on 12 October 2005, in the wake of severe differences over participation in Senate elections with Mr Tsvangirai, who was pressuring for a boycott, leading what was then called the anti-Senate faction, while the late Mr Gibson Sibanda, led the pro-Senate faction.

The anti-Senate faction was to become present day MDC-T while the pro-Senate faction is the MDC led by Welshman Ncube, which further split to spawn MDC-99 which is led by Mr Job Sikhala.

The Clerk of Parliament Mr Austin Zvoma said an MDC-T boycott would not affect the business of the Eighth Parliament given the overwhelming majority garnered by Zanu-PF.

However, he warned that if the MDC-T legislators failed to come to Parliament within the stipulated period, the legal provision dealing with declaring the seats vacant would be invoked.

Meanwhile, fresh turbulence has rocked the MDC-T in  Matabeleland South as the party's rebels are claiming that they are still office holders within the party while officials have pronounced their expulsion.

In an interview yesterday, MDC-T chairperson for Matabeleland South, Mr Watchy Sibanda said the party had issued letters of expulsion to the rebels.

"All those party members who stood as independent candidates in the elections and all those who backed the independents ensured their own expulsion.

"The official position from the party's provincial office is that they are no longer recognised as office holders within the party. We have since issued them with letters informing them of this development," he said.

Mr Sibanda said the party was not prepared to accept traitors who had acted out of their own interests to enhance the Zanu-PF agenda.

"We are not going to work with anyone who betrayed the party. These people are just Zanu-PF sympathisers who were enhancing the agenda of splitting MDC-T votes.

"What is final is that they are not part of us anymore. If they have an interest in being readmitted as party members they will have to apply and it is only after two years that they can be office holders," said Mr Sibanda.

MDC-T organising secretary for the province who unsuccessfully contested as an independent for the National Assembly seat in Bulilima East, Mr Solani Moyo, said he had not received a letter of expulsion from the party.

"I have only heard rumours that I have been expelled from the party but I have not received any official notification. I am still organising secretary for the party because as far as I am concerned I never left the party.

"That is why I was urging people to vote for Mr Morgan Tsvangirai for president. The party cannot expel me because all I did was in the best interest of the party and I am prepared to serve the party," he said.

He blamed the party's leadership for the defeat in Matabeleland South, saying they had split the vote by imposing candidates.

The party's district chairperson for Builima, Mr Vincent Moyo, said while he rallied behind Mr Solani Moyo's candidature he had remained loyal to the party.

Zanu-PF won all the 13 National Assembly seats in Matabeleland South.