The opposition MDC-T has reportedly rejected moves to go into a coalition to be led by ZimPF leader, Joice Mujuru, saying they prefer their own leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, NewsDay has learnt.
BY RICHARD CHIDZA
MDC-T insiders this week said the party has been holding “provincial assemblies” to gauge the mood ahead of a possible coalition.
“We have been holding provincial assemblies across the country and the feedback has been emphatic. The party should only go into a coalition that will be led by Tsvangirai. Anything else will be a hard-sell,” a top MDC-T source said.
The MDC-T structures, it is understood, have told the party leadership that Mujuru would be a “non-starter”.
“The verdict is clear: Mujuru will not do. If she wants, she should join Tsvangirai rather than the other way round. These are personality problems and our structures feel, in Tsvangirai, they have the best option in the opposition. If anything, they would want us to go it alone.
“But it is a dangerous situation because dividing the vote will give Zanu PF a false victory. Nobody wants that, so something will have to give,” another source said. Party spokesperson Obert, Gutu, while indicating issues of coalitions were Tsvangirai’s forte, said the ongoing consultations show the growth of democracy in the MDC-T.
“Internal party deliberations remain part of our fabric as a democratic party. We continue to subject our issues to internal debate. Consultations are ongoing, but we have a standing policy that gives the president (Tsvangirai) the prerogative to speak on issues of coalitions,” he said.
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Tsvangirai’s spokesperson, Luke Tamborinyoka said he was not aware of any consultations being conducted by the party.
“The party has tasked the president to deal with all issues related to coalitions and engagements. I am not aware of any consultations the party is undertaking because the president has been given latitude to deal with those issues,” he said.
ZimPF spokesperson, Jealousy Mawarire said his party would deal with the MDC-T leadership “and not individual members and their feelings.”
“The decision on who will lead the coalition will be made by the leadership of the different political parties that are going to make the coalition.
“It would be futile for us to be swayed by the individual preferences of party members. Those are for political parties to deal with and it is the duty of the leadership to convince their supporters that they will go into the coalition negotiations with an open mind. ZimPF will deal with the MDC-T leadership and not its individual members’ preferences because if we do that, we will never reach a consensus,” he said.
Calls for an opposition coalition continue to grow and Mujuru’s entrance into the opposition ranks has given hope to politics-weary Zimbabweans ahead of 2018.
