Tsvangirai Addresses Rally


MDC Factions To Unify???

From this week, ZimJournalists Arise will pick at least one news item as the most important story of the week. However our picks, will be based on stories we think are not only important for journos to keep an eye on, but issues of national importance. We will make picks, loosely on the most controversial, most scandalous, and the most bizarre. Efforts will be made to keep track on publications that broke them or covered them extensively.
Opinions of course differ, especially in news judgment, and readers are welcome to send in their suggestions.

Last week we picked on Friday’s ZimOnline story,(posted on ZWNEWS) on plans by the MDC to unify. Although this is not a particularly a new story, having being covered by other news organizations over the past few months, Team members felt that ZimOnline covered the talks in great detail, mirroring the closed door goings on of these discussions. Readers have a chance to understand and know who stands where in the two factions. Of interest was the narration of emotion expressed, where former journalist Grace Kwenjeh broke down and cried. Or the powerful words used by Lucia Matibenga, against unity.
While on this issue, we hope there will be no further splits on unity talks.


As the factions of Zimbabwe’s main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party take the first steps towards re-unification ahead of a decisive presidential election in 2008, the goings-on behind the scenes point to tough and protracted negotiations between the two bickering sides on the nature and form of their re-marriage. Both the Morgan Tsvangirai-led group and their cousins led by Arthur Mutambara held two stormy and separate national executive meetings in Harare last Saturday, with the hawks within both camps dismissing unity overtures citing "irreconcilable differences." Insiders believe the hawks within both camps are the vital cogs that will decide whether these unity talks eventually succeed.

On a sunny Saturday afternoon last week at St Lucia Park, an exclusive conference venue in Harare where the Tsvangirai-led faction held its national executive retreat, there were tears as passionate and emotional speakers argued for and against the reintegration of the squabbling factions. When the issue of unity came up for discussion, there was explosive and heated debate that went on for close to four hours. The hawks among Tsvangirai’s group who spoke strongly against unity, citing irreconcilable differences, include national organising secretary Elias Mudzuri, the youth assembly chairperson Thamsanqa Mahlangu, national chairman Isaac Matongo, deputy secretary-general Tapiwa Mashakada and committee member Cephas Makuyana. Insiders told Zim Online that journalist and deputy secretary for international relations, Grace Kwinje, broke down and had to be calmed down by fellow national executive member Kerry Kay as she narrated the futility of re-unification, saying all the Tsvangirai group – the larger between the two opposition factions - needed to do was to work harder on the ground as it had proved to have majority support.

Women’s wing leader in the Tsvangirai-led MDC, Lucia Matibenga, spoke passionately as she accused the faction of seeking - by pushing for unity with the Mutambara-led MDC - to re-infect itself with the same cancer that had almost led to the collapse of the opposition. Matibenga argued that the factors that led to the split had not changed and as a representative of the women, there was no reason to reunite with those who almost failed a national dream. She said: "We are giving ourselves the same disease that led to the split. As women we believe that unity, without addressing the causes of the split will not help anyone." The hawks also argued how difficult it was going to be to work with former secretary-general Welshman Ncube who they accused of having stuffed the party’s Harvest House headquarters with people from his Ndebele tribe. Ncube who is now secretary general of the Mutambara faction denies favouring one group in making appointments to Harvest House. Yet others, such as Ian Makone, said it was better to "absorb" the other group rather than reunite with it. Others demanded to know the nature of the remarriage and asked whether there would be another extra-ordinary Congress to elect new office bearers.

Those who preferred to give unity a chance included former Daily News boss Sam Sipepa Nkomo, vice national chairman Lovemore Moyo and Tsvangirai himself. Tsvangirai told the meeting that he had traversed the country when he held over 60 rallies in the run-up to the district council elections and the feeling of the people on the ground was that the party should unite. He said the people had made an impassioned plea on him to make sure all the democratic forces are reunited to confront the common enemy: Robert Mugabe and Zanu PF. In a highly emotional narration, Tsvangirai said even though they had scored some political victories and won more seats in the council elections, unity was a bigger prize for the suffering people of Zimbabwe. Tsvangirai said: "I have travelled around the country and the people want the democratic forces to unite. I have suffered a lot personally due to the split and unity is the best prize we could give to the people of Zimbabwe." It appeared Tsvangirai’s intervention somewhat managed to calm tempers. After his speech, there was stunning silence as the delegates began to confer quietly among themselves. The Tsvangirai-faction eventually set up a five-member team led by Nkomo that was tasked with negotiating the modalities of unity. The committee also included Matongo, who demanded that he be included in the negotiating task force.

Across town, a similar debate was taking place in the Arthur Mutambara-led camp. Legislator for St Mary’s constituency Job Sikhala, deputy secretary general of the faction Priscilla Misiharabwi-Mushonga and Nkayi constituency Member of Parliament Abednigo Bhebhe argued vociferously against unity. They said the two factions had “irreconcilable differences”. Nevertheless, the faction agreed to set up a committee led by Ncube to negotiate the possibility of remarriage. Talks for unity are a result of shuttle diplomacy and secret meetings between Tsvangirai and Mutambara following their discussion and agreement to work together at the Christian Alliance meeting held on 29 July 2006. It is believed that Tsvangirai hopes to be elected the leader and presidential candidate for a united front while Mutambara hopes to use his proximity to Tsvangirai to garner grassroots support and poise himself as eventual successor to the former trade unionist turned opposition politician. Ncube is, however said to be “not too keen” about the re-unification moves but he remained silent during his faction’s meeting, sources said.

The hawks within both groups seem to be more worried that they could lose their positions if negotiations for re-marriage succeed. The Tsvangirai-led faction seemed to have moved towards consensus when a national standing committee on Wednesday night endorsed the need for reintegration. After that meeting, the larger faction of the opposition party immediately issued a statement saying unity was in line with a resolution at its Congress in March where they agreed to reintegrate and work with all the democratic forces. But the hawks are still holding sway. The youth in the Tsvangirai group, led by Mahlangu, are set to hold an emergency meeting this Saturday to block any overtures for unity. Talk of unity by Christmas by some in the opposition party is probably positive thinking but events on the ground suggest it might be long time yet – certainly well beyond December 25, 2006 - before unity is achieved.

Please note info reaching our desk is that Gabriel Chiabva, MDC Secretary of Information in the MDC led by Arthur Mutambara has issued a rather “contradictory” presser. Our sources tell us that he has shot down talks of unity. We guess the plot thickens.