Mutambara set to be new MDC leader

Mutambara set to be new MDC leader

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• Zanu PF routs MDC in Chitungwiza

• MDC faction sets conditions for reuniting party

• MP arrested during Zimbabwe elections

• Trudy Stevenson: what really happened at October 12 meeting

• Two faces of feuding MDC in UK

• Tsvangirai hit with $50bln defamation suit

• MDC supporters head for UK split

• Msekiwa Makwanya: We will not die if we do not make war

• MDC to have new leader in February - Ncube

• Full text of MDC disciplinary committee letter expelling Matongo

• Full text of MDC disciplinary committee letter expelling Tsvangirai

• Tsvangirai expelled - officials

• Tsvangirai to ride storm, but party weak

• Tsvangirai addresses foreign diplomats

• Tsvangirai suspends deputy

• MDC members in fresh push to oust leader

• Court hands Tsvangirai MDC control

• Alex Magaisa: MDC leaders dying of thirst as palm trees appear

• Mduduzi Mathuthu: Voters must demand better leadership

By Lebo Nkatazo

A FACTION of Zimbabwe's divided opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party appeared to have pulled a major coup Saturday by convincing former student leader Professor Arthur Mutambara to stand for leadership.

Sources within the MDC told New Zimbabwe.com that bar a miracle, Mutambara will be the new leader of the MDC faction opposed to party leader, Morgan Tsvangirai.

Mutambara was expected to meet with the MDC secretary general Welshman Ncube in Harare on Sunday, before meeting the MDC national executive committee later on Monday.

Mutambara was non-committal when he spoke to New Zimbabwe.com, only saying: "I certainly intend to work with others in pursuit of the Zimbabwean national interest."

Paul Themba Nyathi, the MDC's information and publicity secretrary declined to comment Saturday, but confirmed that they would be holding their congress in Bulawayo from 25-26 February where a new leader would be elected.

"We intend to use the Congress as a platform for organisational renewal and to establish a robust consensus amongst our members on the way forward for the next five years," Nyathi said.

"At the congress delegates will elect the leaders they believe are best equipped to take the party forward and advance our project of democratization in Zimbabwe."

Mutambara's imminent arrival has not gone down well with everyone, with Ncube's deputy, Gift Chimanikire, charging that he is the best candidate for the job and claiming his colleagues have stabbed him in the back.

New Zimbabwe.com also understands that former Zimbabwe Union of Democrats (ZUD) leader Margaret Dongo and University of Zimbabwe leacturer Heneri Dzinotyiwei are also likely to step in the frame as Mutambara's running mates.

New Zimbabwe has been told that Mutambara has the support of all the MDC's provinces, except Masvingo.

The MDC split irreconcilably following disagreements over participating in senate elections last November. Tsvangirai favoured a boycott of the elections, but his senior colleagues disagreed leading to an acrimonious split.

Tsvangirai's group intends to hold its own congress in March.

A political analyst, observing the developments, said Saturday: "This move has positives and negatives. The negative element is that Mutambara barely knows these guys and has been out of the country for some time. The positive is that he is untainted by the current MDC politics and has a lot of respect among Zimbabweans. This could be bad news for Tsvangirai."

Mutambara shot to prominence in the late 80s when he led massive student protests aagainst government corruption.

He is currently the Managing Director of Africa Technology & Business Institute, a professional and advisory services firm operating in 13 African countries.

Prof. Mutambara is also a Principal Consultant with MAC Consulting and Professor of Operations Management with the School of Business Leadership, UNISA. From March 2002 to September 2003, Prof. Mutambara was a Standard Bank Director of Payments with responsibilities in 17 African countries.

Formerly, Prof. Mutambara was a Research Scientist and Professor of Robotics and Mechatronics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Carnegie Mellon University, California Institute of Technology, FAMU-FSU, and NASA, all in the United States.

From January 2000 to March 2002, Prof. Mutambara was also a Management Consultant with McKinsey & Company in the Chicago office. While in Chicago, he was Professor of Business Strategy at the Kellogg Business School.

Prof. Mutambara is author of three engineering research books and sixteen peer reviewed journal papers. In addition, Prof. Mutambara is a community leader, public intellectual, and activist who is extensively involved in socio-economic issues in both the US and Africa.

He attended Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar in 1991 where he obtained a Doctorate of Philosophy in Robotics and Mechatronics (1995), and an MSc in Computer Engineering and Electrical Engineering (1992). At Oxford, he was President of both the Africa Society, as well as the Merton Graduate Union (MCR).

Prior to attending Oxford, Prof. Mutambara received a BSc (Honors) in Electrical Engineering from the University of Zimbabwe, where he was President of the Students Union (1989-1990).
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