THE MDC-T has pleaded with the African Union and Sadc to intervene and rescue Zimbabwe from the spiralling economic collapse amid reports that the main opposition party was planning to mount extensive campaigns to ensure that electoral reforms are implemented before the June 10 by-elections.
BY MOSES MATENGA
Ironically, President Robert Mugabe chairs both Sadc and AU. But the MDC-T, plagued with internal strife over whether to participate in the elections or not, passionately appealed to the regional groupings to save the situation in the country.
“Sadc and the AU have to immediately intervene in order to save Zimbabwe from complete and total political and socio – economic disintegration. This is a desperate plea for help,” MDC-T spokesperson Obert Gutu said yesterday. “Our brothers and sisters on the African continent are hereby called upon to hear our cries for assistance. We are in deep trouble. Africa, please don’t forsake the suffering and downtrodden masses of Zimbabwe.”
The party said the country was on auto-pilot worsened by Mugabe’s busy schedule that has seen him flying in and out of the country on personal and business trips.
“Mugabe is busy hopping from one jet onto another as he continues with his endless and apparently purposeless foreign escapades. Zimbabwe is on auto-pilot and as of now, no contingency measures have been put in place to avert the massive food deficit that is about ravage no less than 7 million Zimbabweans, particularly those living in the poor and marginalised rural areas,” Gutu said.
He claimed Mugabe and his usually large entourage had gobbled more than $15 million on his numerous trips and warned that a major political and humanitarian disaster was looming in Zimbabwe.
“Ordinary people are now living in fear of the State security apparatus. Itai Dzamara was abducted three weeks ago by suspected State security agents and up to now, his whereabouts are unknown,” Gutu said.
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“We are living in a virtual police state where safety of the citizens can no longer be guaranteed. This is the main reason why the Sadc Troika on Defence and Security must convene an urgent summit to look into the deteriorating security and political situation in Zimbabwe.”
The MDC-T is embroiled in a bitter fight over whether or not to participate in the by-elections to fill in the seats left vacant following the dismissal from Parliament of the 21 MDC Renewal MPs.
Officials are reportedly pointing fingers ahead of a potentially stormy national executive meeting with some accusing secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora and spokesperson Gutu of failing to properly plan and communicate the party position on the matter.
“What we must do as a party is not to boycott elections, but to declare and assert that we want reforms and render this ungovernable. That would have been a better approach. The spokesperson and the secretary-general should have said we are waiting for the national executive, not to say we are not participating,” an insider said.
“Now if we say we are participating they will call us flip-floppers, undecided and all sorts of names. We have to protect our territory and we can’t protect it by boycotting elections,” said an MDC-T national executive member.
