MDC-T national organising secretary Nelson Chamisa has ordered the co-option into the party’s Mashonaland West provincial leadership structure of candidates who lost elections prior to the elective December congress last year.
The move, which threatens to dilute the power and influence of the victorious faction which was by yesterday reportedly on a whirlwind campaign to incite district leaders to defy Chamisa, was aimed at stemming intra-party violence and deep-seated factionalism in the province.
This came at a time the party has also co-opted losing candidates in Manicaland, where the MDC-T reversed the suspension of provincial executive members and MPs for allegedly fanning divisions. The Mashonaland provincial executive council on Monday held heated meetings with district leaders to announce the national leadership’s directive. Some district and provincial leaders, however, expressed anger at the move describing it as “undemocratic and rewarding losers”.
But Chamisa yesterday said: “We have a programme of consolidating our party. Our philosophy is to add and not to subtract, given the chance to add, we choose to multiply. We are merely expanding our structures in line with the party’s new constitution. We are not just considering those who lost, but experts from various sectors are also being embraced.”
Provincial organising secretary Wilson Makanyaire also defended the move, saying if anything, it would strengthen the party.
“We fully embrace integration, it has wisdom and it is the best at the moment. This is what we have been communicating with our 15 districts in the province. So far we have covered nine districts. We have to confront a fragmented Zanu PF as a united force. We have to bury the past and do away with factions,” Makanyaire said.
Sources told NewsDay provincial chairperson Japhet Karemba and his entire executive was at the weekend summoned to Harvest House, the MDC-T headquarters, where they were instructed to integrate losing members from opposing factions into the provincial committee.
Some of the members co-opted into the new provincial structure include losing chairperson Biggie Haurovi, who is now provincial publicity secretary, Peter Mataruse (welfare secretary) and Francis Dhlakama (elections director), among 19 others.
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In separate interviews, some district chairpersons confirmed they had been approached by Karemba’s emissaries who were pushing for a “no vote” over integration.
Efforts to get comment from Karemba proved fruitless yesterday.
There were simmering divisions within the province that threatened to tear apart the Morgan Tsvangirai-led party. Three factions are reportedly led by Karemba, national youth representative Charlton Hwende and another fronted by Makanyaire and his ally Tawanda Bvumo, the party’s provincial treasurer.
