The Sunday News
Tinomuda Chakanyuka Sunday News Reporter
MDC President Professor Welshman Ncube has admitted that his party failed dismally in last year’s harmonised elections, adding that the party needed to work harder from the grassroots to claim a spot in the country’s political landscape. Following an embarrassing defeat in the presidential race last year, Prof Ncube took a year-long soul searching sabbatical.
The former Minister of Industry and Commerce during the inclusive Government, told Sunday News that his party had since gone back to the drawing board, meeting party leaders at different levels as he sought to bring the party back to its feet.
Yesterday Prof Ncube was at the party’s provincial offices in Bulawayo where he met the party’s elected candidates, provincial chairpersons and members of the standing committee.
The meeting was meant to analyse challenges being faced by the party’s representatives at different levels, as well as proffer solutions to the challenges as the party envisages to boost its grassroots support.
Speaking after the meeting, Prof Ncube, who has since returned to his law roots with Gula Ndebele and Partners, expressed optimism that his party would get it right in the next election set for 2018.
“We have never pretended that we did well in the election. We failed dismally. Yes we lost and that means we now need to work harder than we did in the past.
“Failure is what life teaches us and I think our determination and conviction is to now work harder so that we become the party we ought to be, one which represents the people effectively.
“Today’s meeting was meant to get feedback from our elected candidates on the challenges that they are facing in their areas. We had our members of parliament, provincial chairpersons from various provinces, councillors and some members of our standing committee.
“We also intended to work on ways in which the party can assist our elected candidates deal with their challenges and we believe that is part of strengthening the party’s grassroots,” he said.
Prof Ncube also confirmed that he was now working with former Attorney General Mr Sobusa Gula Ndebele at Gula Ndebele and Partners, where he is running the Bulawayo office.
Asked on how he was going to double up as a lawyer and president of a political party, Prof Ncube said the challenge was not new to him, referring to his days as MDC’s secretary general in 1999 when he also doubled up as an advocate.
“There is nothing amiss or new about this. I have always doubled up as a lawyer and politician. I only stopped practising on 19 February 2009 when I was sworn in as a cabinet minister.
“This will not affect my work in a way and I’m used to the challenge. When I was secretary general of the MDC in 1999 I was a full time advocate. So there is nothing new here,” he said.
Prof Ncube managed a paltry 2,68 percent votes in last year’s election compared to President Mugabe’s 61,09 percent and Mr Morgan Tsvangirai who had 33.,4 percent.
MDC also managed to get only two seats in the House of Assembly and the same number of seats in the Upper House.
