Leadership challenge undermines Tsvangirai

Leadership challenge undermines Tsvangirai

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By Staff Reporter

ZIMBABWE'S veteran opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, could see his position seriously undermined in a leadership race at the weekend that is expected to deepen the split within his party.

Tsvangirai, the most formidable opposition leader since Zimbabwe's independence 26 years ago, faced for the first time several challengers for the presidency of a faction of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC).

Once posing the biggest challenge to President Robert Mugabe's rule, the MDC split late last year after Tsvangirai's decision to boycott senate elections and the gap between the rival camps showed no sign of being bridged.

During a three-day MDC congress opening in Harare on Friday, Tsvangirai would square off against Roy Bennett, a white former MDC MP, lawyer Tendai Biti, former Harare mayor Elias Mudzuri, academician Elphus Mukonoweshuro and economist Tapiwa Mashakada.

While Tsvangirai was expected to win the presidency, analysts agreed that his leadership would be weakened after facing challenges from within his own supporters and from rival Arthur Mutambara, who was elected MDC leader by another camp three weeks ago.

Mutambara, who returned to Zimbabwe after spending 15 years abroad, was a respected former student leader who had said he wanted to reconcile the MDC, but his appeals had so far fallen on deaf ears.

A media consultant and political commentator Bill Saidi said: "There is no chance of them getting back together becoming the MDC of the old.

"The ruling Zimbabwe African National Union - Patriotic Front (Zanu-PF) party will exploit the division as much as possible."

University of Zimbabwe political analyst Heneri Dzinotyiwei said: "By holding separate congresses, the two groups are underscoring the split, and showing they are irreconcilable."

A former trade union leader, Tsvangirai, fought unsuccessfully in court to throw out Mugabe's 2002 election victory, alleging vote-rigging in the polls that he claimed to have won.

University of Zimbabwe political scientist Joseph Kurebga said: "One sure effect of the split is to dilute the strength that Morgan Tsvangirai had as an opposition leader over the past six years.

"There is no question about the negative impact the split has had for both groups. Tsvangirai may command the support of his admirers from his trade union days, but he will lose a significant number of those who have jumped ship."

Independent analyst Augustine Timbe said Tsvangirai would "emerge from the congress weaker as he will be leading a faction, as opposed to an entire opposition movement, which once dared to challenge the ruling party".

But, Nelson Chamisa, the spokesperson for the faction led by Tsvangirai said the party was "poised for its greatest times".

He said: "The congress is like a blast furnace from where we will emerge stronger." - AFP
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