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DOP leader mourns Tsvangirai, slams succession fights

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Democratic Opposition Party (DOP) leader, Peter Harry Wilson has described the death of MDC-T leader, Morgan Tsvangirai and the attendant infighting over his post as regrettable.

Democratic Opposition Party (DOP) leader, Peter Harry Wilson has described the death of MDC-T leader, Morgan Tsvangirai and the attendant infighting over his post as regrettable.

By NQOBANI NDLOVU

Wilson, a former member of the Simba Makoni-led Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn party, however, said the developments presented his party an opportunity to “slice away a big chunk of the MDC-T’s support base”.

Tsvangirai, who passed on last week after a battle with colon cancer, was buried yesterday in Buhera.

Wilson described his death as a sad chapter in the fight for democracy in the country, adding that the resulting infighting betrayed his fight “for a democratic society”.

“We join the nation in mourning the passing away of our hero, Tsvangirai. He fought his fight, but all that he fought for is sadly being betrayed by the infighting in the MDC-T over who is the rightful heir,” Wilson told journalists after a DOP consultative meeting with provincial structures on Sunday in Bulawayo.

“For us in the DOP, this presents a window of opportunity to try and fill the void left by Tsvangirai, a window of opportunity that we are different from MDC-T with all its squabbles.”

The DOP is one of the several opposition political parties that will contest in the harmonised elections set for July.

Critics have argued the mushrooming of parties will split the votes in favour of the ruling Zanu PF.

“The power struggle between MDC Alliance and People’s Rainbow Coalition (PRC) has not mobilised the nation, but has divided the nation even further. There has been more in-house fighting, which has caused so much confusion for example.

“I believe the MDC-T will emerge from all this weak and divided . . . as DOP, we stand ready to once again take the stage in the political arena,” the DOP leader added before ruling out any chances of his party joining the PRC or MDC Alliance.