Sparks fly as MDC factions trade insults

Sparks fly as MDC factions trade insults

• Trudy Stevenson: Tsvangirai strayed from MDC vision

• Matongo claims plot to kill Tsvangirai

• Tsvangirai moves to heal rift with Mbeki

• Tsvangirai thumbs nose at Mbeki

• MDC supporters tell Tsvangirai to beat it

• J Mkobi & B Mokoena: Aborting democracy, rearing ethnicity

• High Court lifts Sikhala suspension

• Chikoko Muponde: Is Tsvangirai his own man?

• MDC split final - official

• Tsvangirai claims backing for senate boycott

• Sikhala drags Tsvangirai to court

• Trudy Stevenson: the arguments you never heard

• Open letter to Morgan Tsvangirai

• Job Sikhala: Why Tsvangirai can't fire me

• Sikhala unbowed by Tsvangirai suspension

• MDC talks end in deadlock

• Tsvangirai fires fresh salvo at colleagues

• MDC leaders meet to avert imminent split

• Sikhala withdraws MDC funding claims

• MDC youths on violence charges

• D Muleya: MDC goes down, fighting itself!

• Msekiwa Makwanya: Rank hypocrisy in MDC senate debate

• Nigeria, Ghana reject funding MDC

• Ncube not for turning

• Bekithemba Mhlanga: Label food, not people

• Nixon Mao: Our darkest day

• Tsvangirai threatens 'political action'

• Tsvangirai on ropes after senate rebellion

• Nigeria, Ghana sucked into MDC crisis

• Prof J Moyo: 'All Zanu PF want is geriatrics to be senators'

• Stanford Mukasa: Rejoinder to PT Nyathi

• Bloody Monday for MDC

• Paul T Nyathi: Tribal slurs easy to make, but extremely dangerous

• Brilliant Mhlanga: MDC no longer an alternative

• Patrick Mlambo: Tsvangirai has lost plot

• Nyathi hits back at Tsvangirai bribery claims

• B Mhlanga: Tsvangirai fell for Zanu PF bait

• Alex Magaisa: Handling a fledging democracy

• Elliot Pfebve: Tsvangirai & Mugabe, larvae and butterfly scenario

• MDC moves to impeach Tsvangirai

• Sibanda: Tsvangirai in breach of constitution

• Tsvangirai accuses officials of vote-buying

• Itai Zimunya: MDC split good for Zimbabwe

• Tsvangirai bid to heal rifts

• Chenjerai Hove: The MDC and a very Zimbabwean disease

• Tsvangirai must 'come to terms' - Nyathi

• M Makwanya: Lessons in democratic process

• Heads must roll

• MDC splits widen after senate vote

• Tsvangirai: We are out

• Nyathi: We are in

• MDC to boycott senate - Tsvangirai

By Lebo Nkatazo

SPARKS continue to fly within Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change -- with the main players in a vicious power struggle now resorting to insults.

Maverick St Mary's MP, Job Sikhala, has described party leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, as a "goblin" -- which signifies a sinister, flesh-eating spirit that stalks human prey at night traditional lore.

Lawyer and Harare East MP, Tendai Biti, has slammed the MDC's deputy secretary general, Gift Chimanikire as a "smelly, fat man who doesn't bath".

Not to be outdone, Chimanikire has hit back at Biti, saying he suffered from diarrhea.

And on Monday, the party's warring factions traded allegations of corruption, with national spokesman Paul Themba Nyathi saying Tsvangirai's love for money was "immeasurable".

Nyathi's outburst came hours after Tsvangirai, and his right hand man, Isaac Matongo, had accused their internal opponents of being sponsored by Zanu PF and playing a hand in Tsvangirai's treason trial which collapsed at the High Court.

The MDC fight stems from Tsvangirai's call for a boycott of a November 26 vote for a Senate, against the decision of the party's supreme decision making body -- the national council.

Tsvangirai and his supporters argue that the Senate is a waste of money and will not lead to a change of government, while some of his senior colleagues say the MDC should participate to consolidate its hold on parliamentary seats already under its control.

Tsvangirai's deputy, Gibson Sibanda, party Secretary General Welshman Ncube and his deputy, Gift Chimanikire dispute the leader's authority to order a boycott of the Senate race. They insist Tsvangirai was narrowly outvoted in an internal ballot by the party's national executive on October 12.

Nyathi revealed that Tsvangirai's faction had seized the party's financial statements, cheque books and other documents from the party's treasury department -- claiming that his rivals were denying him access to the funds.

Nyathi came out guns blazing, accusing Tsvangirai of corruption. He said the MDC leader had misled the media by claiming he was not a signatory to the MDC's accounts.

Nyathi blasted: "Contrary to press reports that (Mr) Tsvangirai is being denied access to party cash for use during his campaigns because he is not a signatory to the accounts, he is in fact one of the four authorised signatories to the party accounts… He is in control of the accounts.

"“Two weeks ago, one member of the kitchen cabinet confiscated all financial statements, cheque books and other financial records from the director of finance and those are under the control of (Mr) Tsvangirai himself.

“…We wish to remind (Mr) Tsvangirai of the old adage that says those who live in glass houses should not throw stones."

Nyathi claimed that Tsvangirai could have been prosecuted for corruption at the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions but had been spared the embarrassment by his deputy and ex-ZCTU chairman, Gibson Sibanda.

“Whilst still with the ZCTU Mr Tsvangirai was in the habit of withdrawing moneys from the ZCTU accounts using only one authorised signature; his own, leaving out the treasurer.”

The MDC spokesperson added that Tsvangirai “secretly and unbeknown to his colleagues” flew to Montreal, Canada, to get US$5 million from Ari Ben Menashe -- a former Israeli spy who later turned out to be the State’s star witness in his treason trial.

“Typical of the man whose love for money is immeasurable, he flew into Ari Ben Menashe’s trap and flew to Montreal supposedly to collect the money. This only surfaced when Australian media broke the news over his scandalous and recorded jaunt.”

Tsvangirai's spokesman, William Bango said: "It is mud being thrown and we are going to expect much more. It doesn't help anybody except Mugabe as long as Mugabe is in power."
JOIN THE DEBATE ON THIS ARTICLE ON THE NEWZIMBABWE.COM FORUMS
newsdesk@newzimbabwe.com