The Sunday News
Khumbulani Vodloza Sibanda
SINCE its formation in 1999, the MDC has paraded itself as a democratic party pursuing social democratic change.
The party presents itself as an alternative to the liberation vanguard party, Zanu-PF, which it accuses of closing the democratic space. The need for a vibrant opposition party to keep incumbent Government in check and on its toes is an undeniable necessity in any modern democracy. Section 3 of the MDC founding Constitution commits the MDC to be “a Social Democratic Party whose core values shall be solidarity, justice, equality, liberty, freedom, transparency, humble and obedient leadership and accountability.” Fair.
However, subsequent developments since the formation of the party have proved that the original founding values have been trashed left, right and centre.
Originally, the founding constitution provided for two terms for the party president. In a clear violation of this otherwise good provision, the founding MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai held the office from 2000 until his death in 2018. A popular accusation by MDC activists against Zanu-PF was that former President, Robert Mugabe had almost become President for life. As life would have it, Mugabe is no longer Zanu-PF leader and State President, while the so-called “democrat” Tsvangirai actually died in office, achieving an 18-year tenure.
Recent developments in the opposition outfit ahead of its elective congress have exposed the false claims of a democratic party based on equality and solidarity. A disclosure by Secretary General, Douglas Mwonzora that he is considering challenging Nelson Chamisa for the party presidency has opened a can of worms with clear factional fault lines emerging. Chamisa camp kingpin, Tendai Biti has reacted angrily to the potential Mwonzora challenge, describing him as a nincompoop and a Zanu-PF dim half-wit.
The Harare Provincial Youth Assembly has also joined the anti-Mwonzora crusade, declaring that any potential Chamisa challenger was “an enemy” of the party.
This is a direct violation of Section 4.9 which provides that the party is all against all forms of factionalism, rumour mongering, slander and character assassination. Further, the schedule of offences outlaws use of abusive language and malicious gossiping. Had the MDC been true to its founding values, Biti and Harare Youth Assembly Vice Chairman, Stanley Manasi Manyenga, who read the province’s abusive resolution on Mwonzora, would have been called to order. What do you have? Chamisa’s half-hearted censure of the Harare Youth Assembly, this is all because the abusive machinations are perceived to be working in favour of Chamisa’s ambitions.
This is not the first time Biti has found himself on the wrong side in MDC internal contestations for power. In 2015 Biti insulted Tsvangirai as a thief and a womaniser. “We don’t share the same values with MDC-T. Morgan Tsvangirai is a thief. He slept at the wheel during the GNU and his party is founded on violence.”
He then broke ranks with Tsvangirai to form Team Renewal, together with Elton Steers Mangoma. This is the same Biti who has suddenly emerged at the forefront of MDC politics.
Equally, Welshman Ncube, who rebelled against Tsvangirai and said a lot of unsavoury things about him, was appointed MDC vice-president by Chamisa. Chamisa is claiming to have been anointed by Tsvangirai to fulfil his vision. Can Biti and Prof Ncube be trusted aides to Chamisa to realise Tsvangirai’s vision?
Douglas Mwonzora
Meanwhile, all the loyalist MDC members who struggled with Tsvangirai such as Dr Thokozani Khupe, Mwonzora and Jessie Majome have suddenly become enemies. Can a youth member like Manyenga really castigate Mwonzora as an enemy of the MDC? This is the bad state of affairs in the MDC right now.
For all intents and purposes, there have been no internal MDC processes to re-admit Biti and Prof Ncube back into the MDC. In fact, is the party called MDC still in existence? Chamisa conceded that they lost title to the name MDC-T, which is now being used by Dr Khupe. What Chamisa now leads is the pre-electoral coalition of various parties that came together to face Zanu-PF ahead of the 2018 polls. There was Biti’s Peoples Democratic Party, Transform Zimbabwe led by Jacob Ngarivhume, Zimbabwe People First led by Agrippa Mutambara, among others. The agreement was these parties would retain their individual identities after the elections. Suddenly, Biti became MDC vice-president. What happened to PDP?
On the other hand, Ngarivhume is disgruntled that he has not been co-opted into MDC like Prof Ncube and Biti.
Mwonzora is being vilified for expressing his democratic right to contest for a position in MDC. Yet the Section 5.5.1(b) of the MDC constitution provides that members enjoy right to stand for and, if elected, hold any office in the party. What is clear, thus, is that the party pays lip service to its supposed democratic foundational values. Everything is being done to suit Chamisa’s political ambitions. Mwonzora should be left to contest for the presidency and either win or lose, depending on his popularity among the voting delegates. MDC has lost the moral standing to criticise Zanu-PF.
While Section 4.4 of the MDC constitution provides that MDC supports the emancipation of women and combating sexism, a senior member, Job Sikhala has been under fire recently by social media users from diverse backgrounds for body shaming one Nyaradzo Nyathi in a case of a mistaken identity with a similarly named woman who had accused Chamisa of raping her. Such abuse by Sikhala is a clear violation of the MDC values of combating sexism. What happens to him? Nothing. He is supporting Chamisa.
The party’s support for Western sanctions against the country also run counter to its pledge of promoting the country’s national interests. Despite enjoying unlimited positive coverage by the country’s private media houses, which portray Chamisa and MDC as the country’s future, the reality is that the MDC has done much damage to the country’s interests.
It clouds its anti-people crusades through spin and propaganda and massive publicity and support from anti-Zanu-PF elements in foreign media such as The Telegraph, the Sunday Times, Washington Post, among others.
These papers have been pivotal in portraying the MDC as the natural successor to Zanu-PF to govern Zimbabwe. Despite this massive investment of space, the reality of the true character of MDC is coming, leaving these papers with egg on their faces. The violence against the late Trudy Stevenson, Dr Khupe, Elton Mangoma and the on-going crusade against Mwonzora smashed the choreographed MDC image.
What is unfolding in the MDC is clear exposition of the true character of that party. All other claims of being a party of excellence, democratic and a viable alternative government have been proved to be a fallacy. The MDC, as currently operating, is just a bunch of orators whose pre-occupation is power. Power at all costs. Absolute power.
