MDC fights tribalism charges over SA elections

MDC fights tribalism charges over SA elections

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By Staff Reporter

A FACTION of Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) was left fighting allegations of tribalism following a stormy congress held over the weekend in Bloemfontein, Johannesburg.

Of the 27 office bearers elected to lead the Sout African branch of the MDC faction led by Morgan Tsvangirai, elected from the party’s nine districts in South Africa, only one is a Ndebele speaker while the rest are Shonas, a situation which some supporters of the faction have said calls for urgent intervention by the national executive.

The party’s national chairman, Lovemore Moyo, who was the returning officer for the elections was quoted by the Voice of America’s Studio 7 admitting that there is discontentment with the outcome of the elections but was quick to add that voting was carried out “without any problems”.

He told Studio 7: “The Shona are a majority in Zimbabwe and that’s why you find that most jobs in Zimbabwe are filled by Shonas. That is reflected by the weekend elections but we will always balance the leadership if there is need to."

Amon Ndlovu, the only Ndebele speaker was elected deputy chairman, retaining the same position from the previous executive.

He described the election as a “farce that decries the founding principles of the party”.

Said Ndlovu: “We joined the MDC because it was founded on the principles of racial and tribal integration but we are so disappointed with the outcome of these elections.”

Estimates say between two and three million Zimbabweans have relocated to neighbouring South Africa, and nearly half of them are registered voters in Zimbabwe.

Ndlovu told Studio 7 that the matter would “definitely” be resolved, insisting that if nothing was done that would mean the end of the party in South Africa.

“If you look at the October 12, 2005, split, there were several issues which we are have not openly talked about that were the cause of the split and tribalism is one of them,” he said.

The MDC, which posed the greatest challenge to President Robert Mugabe’s rule since independence, split into two groups following disagreements between its founding president, Morgan Tsvangirai and his senior officials over participation in Senatorial elections, although it is now understood that there were more issues at play than the Senatorial election.

Tsvangirai now leads one faction while the other factions is led by former robotics professor, Arthur Mutambara.

New Zimbabwe.com has been told that an attempt to unite the two groups collapsed two weeks ago.
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