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By Staff Reporter

IN a new turn of events, the MDC pro-Senate faction says the ruling Zanu PF government can only be ousted from power through elections, adding that those who advocate for a confrontational approach were fooling themselves.

The MDC had since its formation in 1999 been engaging a two-pronged approach to unseat Zanu PF - elections and mass actions - without success.

But MDC secretary-general Welshman Ncube last Friday told over 600
pro-Senate supporters in Mt Pleasant after the restructuring of Mashonaland West, Mashonaland Central and Harare provincial executives that the only route to power were polls.

"There is no other way of removing (President) Robert Mugabe except through elections. Anyone who tells you the other way is cheating you. Even if Zanu PF says there is an election for a toilet caretaker we will participate," Ncube said.

He admitted that the opposition party tactics had failed since the 2000 parliamentary polls to remove the ruling party from power.

"In 2000 we were given a mandate by the people to remove President Robert Mugabe. We are going back to congress in February, but he is still there. You have an obligation to report that we have failed to remove him. We have to report (even if) we say he stole the elections," Ncube added.

The MDC came close to unseating Zanu PF from power in the 2000 general elections when it garnered 57 seats against the ruling party's 62, but since then its fortunes through the ballot have waned and in last year's parliamentary polls, the opposition party won only 41 seats.

The party also tried street protests and stayaways, but failed to oust the ruling party.

In October last year the MDC split into two camps over participation in the November Senate polls - the anti-Senate faction being led by Morgan Tsvangirai and the pro-Senate team commanded by vice president Gibson Sibanda and Welshman Ncube.

Tsvangirai's camp recently intimated that it would engage in mass action to oust the Zanu PF government.

On December 20 last year, Tsvangirai told diplomats in Harare that the MDC's major task was to continue "to survive as (a) democratic fighting force mobilising the people in an incessant struggle" against the government.

He added: "We are under no illusions about the task before us. It is going to be a long and arduous journey with supreme sacrifices if need be, but one which must be travelled and overcome."

A few days later, the MDC's anti-Senate faction spokesperson Nelson Chamisa said the MDC would this year engage in mass action to dislodge Zanu PF from
power.

"There will be mass arrests, injuries and agony. But that is the price we should be prepared to pay for our freedom because next year we are going to be as confrontational as we have never been before," Chamisa said.

Besides the recent utterances on mass action, the MDC had since its formation in September 1999 been pushing for a violent ouster of the government without success.

In May 1 2000, Tsvangirai told a Workers' Day Celebrations at Rufaro Stadium in the capital that "Mugabe must go peacefully or we will remove him violently."

He was charged with treason for the utterances, but the State withdrew the allegations before plea last year.

When Tsvangirai lost the 2002 presidential election to President Mugabe by over 400 000 votes, the MDC called for what they branded a "final push", which would entail marching to State House to oust the Head of State.

The final push however failed to yield desired results.

At the same rally, Ncube, turning to squabbling between the two MDC factions said the party must forget about Tsvangirai and concentrate on getting into power.

"If we continue thinking about them (anti-Senate faction) we would be wasting our time. Let us finish them between now and February and forget about them. We need to focus on getting into power in the next five years," Ncube added.

The two MDC factions have been conducting separate provincial restructuring exercises in the past month ahead of the party's congress next month.

The pro-Senate faction finished its restructuring exercise last week, while the anti-Senate faction is left with the Matabeleland provinces.
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