MDC supporters head for UK split

MDC supporters head for UK split

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By Staff Reporter

SUPPORTERS of Zimbabwe's main opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party in the United Kingdom are set for a dramatic split.

The factionalism that has ripped through the heart of the MDC in Zimbabwe -- causing a split between party leader Morgan Tsvangirai and some of his senior officials -- has resurfaced with vengeance in the UK after an indaba was called at the weekend, without the sanction of other MDC UK District officials.

The MDC's UK chairman, Washington Ali, a protege of MDC national chairman Isaac Matongo, called a district meeting for Birmingham Sunday. The meeting went ahead but was boycotted by other officials -- among them the District's organising secretary, Sipho Nkala.

It was not immediately clear if any resolutions were passed at the meeting, although it was predicted that the meeting would discuss the split within the MDC in Zimbabwe and pledge support for Tsvangirai.

In apparent reference to Tsvangirai's internal opponents, Ali told SW Radio Africa last week: "There is only one MDC in Zimbabwe ....these other people claiming to be MDC are a group of individuals trying to destroy the party. I want to be honest with you because I call a spade a spade…these people, I will not use the word faction because we don’t recognise any factions in the party, are just a destructive group of people out to destroy the MDC."

MDC leaders in Zimbabwe have split irreconcilably, with Tsvangirai leading one faction while some of his most senior colleagues, including his deputy, Gibson Sibanda and secretary general, Welshman Ncube, now lead another faction.

The split was dramatised by differences over whether to field candidates or boycott senate elections last November. Tsvangirai wanted a boycott, while some of his senior colleagues called for participation. Since then, the two groups have been trying to seize control of the party. They have both set-up parallel structures and both intend to hold two separate national congresses to elect new leadership.

In a statement issued Saturday, Nkala contradicted Ali's call for a district meeting on Sunday, instead putting forward January 22 as the date for the next MDC UK District executive meeting.

She said: "This is to reiterate to all loyal to the party, that, contrary to Mr Ali’s claims, there has been no meeting called by the UK district executive for the 8th of January 2006. The District Meeting is, in fact, on the 22nd January 2006, in Leicester. This meeting has been called through the district’s properly constituted structures and as such the actions of Washington Ali are not only mischievous but also unconstitutional.

"The MDC is a legal entity and, therefore the use of its name has to be done in accordance with the rules governing the organisation, be it in procedure or any other aspect of the constitution.

"The UK district has no qualms with Mr Ali calling a meeting, as it is his democratic right to do so, but he has no authority to convene a meeting in the name of the MDC UK District without properly adhering to protocol.

"I must emphasise that as a District, we have remained true to the party and its aspirations. We remain bound by its rules and guiding principles. We remain loyal to the party but not to individuals.

"We support individual leaders of the party because they belong to the MDC, and not because the MDC belongs to them. People may come and go, but the vision of the party must remain focused on the goal of achieving change through democratic processes.

"The only thing that is guaranteed in this world is change. An entity that is resistant to change is surviving artificially and thus is oriented to self destruct. We have individual and collective responsibility to protect our party from such fate. The only way to ensure this is to respect the party procedures and uphold the party constitution at all levels."

The imminent split among MDC officials in the UK was highlighted by John Huruva, the former MDC UK District's organising secretary in a press statement issued at the weekend. Huruva called for MDC officials in the UK to "unite" and "grow up".

He said: "The MDC UK leadership is now failing to properly handle the divisions back home. They are now creating divisions here where there were no divisions - forcing us to choose which faction to follow.

"The basis for this boggles my mind. MDC’s vision and policies have not changed and those are the things that attracted most of us to the party. Leaders come and go but parties remain. The forthcoming congress will determine the leadership of the party in Zimbabwe. The UK District is not even party to this process. I wonder why we should allow the UK District Executive to divide us in this way.

"We, as members of the MDC UK, mandated the District Executive to lead us in a struggle to rid Zimbabwe of an evil dictatorship. The focus is now lost. We are now left to hang and dry. The Executive has to account for this. They owe it to us.

"I suggest that we demand that all factional based meetings stop forthwith. We do not want to be divided. We are MDC members. The whole world knows that Mr. Tsvangirai is the president of MDC and Mr. Sibanda is his deputy until such time that the congress in Zimbabwe chooses a new leadership. The politicking in Zimbabwe should not cause us to lose focus."
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