WARNING: This is Version 1 of my old archive, so Photos will NOT work and many links will NOT work. But you can find articles by searching on the Titles. There is a lot of information in this archive. Use the SEARCH BAR at the top right. Prior to December 2012; I was a pro-Christian type of Conservative. I was unaware of the mass of Jewish lies in history, especially the lies regarding WW2 and Hitler. So in here you will find pro-Jewish and pro-Israel material. I was definitely WRONG about the Boeremag and Janusz Walus. They were for real.
Original Post Date: 2004-02-19 Posted By: Jan
From the News Archives of: WWW.AfricanCrisis.Org
Date & Time Posted: 2/19/2004 1:55:27 PM
Zimbabwe: Rift Rocks MDC Leadership
[I wouldn’t be surprised if Mugabe has agents inside the MDC. The MDC are, in my humble opinion a waste of time. They may be the largest party in Zimbabwe but they are toothless and useless and if they split apart they’ll only be more useless than they are now. Jan]
MAJOR rift, which may dent the Movement for Democratic Change’s (MDC) ahead of next year’s parliamentary election is simmering within the ranks of the opposition party – stemming from sharp differences over the Zengeza by-election slated for March 27 and 28.
Two powerful camps, jockeying for equally influential candidates, have emerged within the MDC with only about five weeks left before the Zengeza by-election, raising fears that the opposition party executive could split right through the middle.
A clique of trade unionists linked to former Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) vice-president, Isaac Matongo, has swung its weight behind one of the candidates for the Zengeza seat, James Makore, and frustrated all endeavours to hold primary elections.
Also throwing their support behind Makore is the current ZCTU vice-president and MDC’s chairperson for the women’s league, Lucia Matibenga, Remus Makuwaza, the director for elections and one Mdlongwa, MDC’s organising secretary.
But there is stiff resistance from an equally powerful camp pushing for primary elections. The camp comprises the MDC vice president Gibson Sibanda, secretary-general Welshman Ncube, treasurer, Fletcher Dulini Ncube, Member of Parliament for Harare East, Tendai Biti, and national youth chairman Nelson Chamisa.
The Zengeza seat fell vacant following the resignation while in the diaspora of legislator Tafadzwa Musekiwa who fled the country fearing for his life.
Jockeying for Musekiwa’s former parliamentary seat are Makore, Goodrich Chimbaira, Charlton Hwende and Lloyd Damba. Sources said Hwende and Chimbaira commanded a lot of support in Zengeza and the race in the MDC camp was virtually between the two.
The squabbles have raised eyebrows within an electorate desperate for lasting solutions to the Zimbabwean political crisis. It also prompted hundreds of MDC supporters from various wards in Zengeza to storm the party’s headquarters in Harare seeking an explanation from the leadership about the imposition of Makore, ZCTU’s former organising secretary.
The situation turned nasty and at least five people were seriously injured during fisticuffs between youths impeccable sources said lasted about an hour.
The injured were identified only as Ms Kuvinya, Mr Mukuze, Ms Maruve, Ms Madeira and Ms Tarupiwa.
Yesterday another group of about 40 MDC members from Zengeza stormed Harvest House and only left after assurances from Ncube (secreatary-general) that he would organise a meeting with the MDC leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, today.
“The best people to respond would be Tsvangirai and Matongo. All I did was arrange for them to meet tomorrow (today),” a seemingly dejected Ncube said.
Matongo responded harshly to questions from this newspaper: “Who told you that? Go back to those people who are saying I want to impose a candidate and let them finish off the story.” He then abruptly cut off his mobile phone without elaborating his involvement in the fiasco both at the opposition party’s headquarters and in Zengeza.
MDC national spokesman Paul Themba Nyathi said: “The chairman has carried out a candidate selection process as instructed by the party,” said Nyathi in apparent support of Matongo’s handpicked candidate.
An angry Hwende said: “They are masquerading as democrats yet they don’t want to hold primary elections. People were beaten up because they wanted their voices heard. Matongo is totally against holding elections. That’s undemocratic.”
Director for elections Makuwaza confirmed that Matongo had brought forward Makore’s name as the official candidate for the constituency.
“We as the election directorate work and train candidates given to us by the chairman,” Makuwaza said. “Makore’s name was brought forward to us as our official candidate and this is the one we are currently going to work with.”
Asked whether the method of avoiding primary elections did not impinge on the principles of democracy, Makuwaza said: “Democracy has its limits. You need to have some limits in a democracy.”
On the scuffle at Harvest House, Makuwaza said some people were being manipulated to cause havoc and tarnish the image of the party.
Ahead of last year’s Highfield by-election, the opposition party was rocked by divisions after Matongo again reportedly imposed Cephas Makuyana, whose candidature was violently opposed.
MDC members from that constituency reportedly staged a sit-in at the party premises forcing Matongo to reverse his decision and opt for primary elections then won by Pearson Mungofa, the incumbent Member of Parliament for Highfield.
Source: AllAfrica.com
URL: http://allafrica.com/stories/200402190258.htm…br>