Co-existence between MDC-T and Mthwakazi Liberation Front (MLF) supporters remains tense after the two groups fought running battles during a joint protest march at the Sadc Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, recently.
The mistrust between the two groups has reportedly grown so intense that Speaker of Parliament and MDC-T national chairman, Lovemore Moyo, was last week threatened with unspecified action by MLF supporters at a restaurant in South Africa.
Moyo, who was reportedly on his way to an official business trip to Canada, had made stop-over in Johannesburg.
He was not available for comment on Tuesday as he was still not yet back.
But MLF secretary for legal affairs Sabelo Ngwenya confirmed the developments on Tuesday.
“When I arrived at KwaGumede (eating place) I fought MDC activists. Then Lovemore Moyo and his entourage came. I do confirm that we were at the same place at the same time. We even greeted each other and shook hands before he sat down at the next table with his bodyguards.
“However, out of nowhere he stood up and his bodyguards whisked him away, leaving a couple of his officials feasting on the food that they had just ordered,” he said.
MDC-T and MLF activists last week clashed outside the Sandton Convention Centre during a pro-democracy march at the Sadc Summit. Ngwenya said he could not ascertain why Moyo “fled” the scene.
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“His security team could have felt that our presence there compromised his safety. Ever since the skirmishes at the Sadc march, we (MLF) haven’t been in touch with the MDC guys. To be frank, I think we are in a state of armed peace with the MDC-T.
“Given the violent nature of the MDC-T, fighting cannot be ruled out. And as MLF we will not take it lying down because we have a duty to defend our supporters from MDC-T attacks. Those who witnessed the Sadc Summit clashes between us will testify that MLF will never tolerate MDC-T violence. We will return fire with fire,” he said.
An MDC-T official in Johannesburg, Austin Moyo, blamed poor tribal relations within his own party for the animosity.
“I think the boys who organised the meeting handled it badly such that it looked like a tribal meeting,” he said.
