The Sunday News
TWO MDC factions – the Renewal Team and MDC-T – are reportedly locked in a bitter battle to gain the support of Zimbabweans living in the diaspora and liberation and post-liberation political parties in the Sadc region, with both factions reportedly dispatching delegations to meet structures and political parties in those countries.
The parties have been at each other’s throats, claiming to be the real MDC.
Previously, the opposition has gained considerable support from the diaspora.
The MDC Renewal Team last week reportedly sent a high-powered delegation that includes its interim chairperson, Dr Samuel Sipepa Nkomo, and secretary-general Mr Tendai Biti to “fix” their diaspora structures.
In a statement, the party’s chairperson for international relations and diaspora committee, Mr Gorden Moyo, revealed that the delegation, led by Dr Sipepa Nkomo, will meet the party’s supporters in the diaspora with the aim of fixing structures and gaining support.
He revealed that the party had further declared the last weekend of October as the orange weekend, where rallies will be held simultaneously in countries where they have structures.
“The MDC Renewal leadership team consisting of the leader of the guardian council, Mrs Sekai Holland; national chairman, Dr Samuel Sipepa Nkomo; secretary-general, Mr Tendai Biti; treasurer-general, Mr Elton Mangoma; Mrs Lucia Matibenga and Mr Gorden Moyo shall visit seven Sadc countries namely; South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Swaziland, Zambia, Angola, and Malawi to meet both liberation movements and post liberation political parties as part of the party’s Pan-Africanist agenda.
“The diaspora structures across the globe have been advised to debate and contribute to the party’s social democracy ideological orientation, Pan-Africanist values, democratic developmental state aspirations, economic governance focus and pro-poor policies; their input shall be used by the party in its policy formulation processes,” said Mr Moyo, who is also the legislator for Makokoba constituency.
The team is also set to visit Mozambique, the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada.
He said all this was being done in preparation for the holding of the party’s national conference tentatively set to be held next month and the national congress to be held in the first quarter of next year.
MDC-T national spokesperson, Mr Douglas Mwonzora, however, hit back saying they were not moved by the “rebel” Renewal Team, noting that a lot was being peddled on the state of their diaspora support but said they had everything under control.
He said it was surprising that the Renewal Team now considered the diaspora community, revealing that at one point Mr Biti had pushed for the powers of MDC members in the diaspora to be considerably reduced, in terms of decision making within the party.
“There has been a raging debate regarding the status of external structures.
“Some have asserted that external structures have no full rights and therefore cannot nominate national leaders. Others have argued to the contrary. The good thing is that people are debating freely.
“Before our 2011 congress the external structures were regarded as provinces with the same structure and rights as domestic provinces. At the congress the then secretary-general Tendai Biti proposed a downgrading of the external structures to branches.
“His proposals were referred to the national council. Congress did not have the time to debate them but when he brought the proposals to the national council, the council adopted these amendments and formalised the downgrading of the external structures,” said Mr Mwonzora.
He said they have since nullified this move and now considered external structures as full provinces that had a say in electing the national leadership, hence the move to continually consult them.
“The MDC is such a fierce proponent of the diaspora vote. It surely cannot in the same vein be seen to be disenfranchising its own diaspora members. External structures have the right to nominate and elect national leaders,” he said.
