By Nobleman Runyanga
The ongoing efforts to foster unity as a prerequisite for national progress through the national dialogue have split the MDC Alliance, the Harare Post has learnt.
Sources in the opposition party have indicated that some in the MDC Alliance leadership feel that participating in the national dialogue was not in the interests of the party as they feared that it would serve to endorse President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s 30 July poll win rendering the party irrelevant.
The sources gave out that party leader, Nelson Chamisa, co-vice president, Morgan Komichi, co-vice president Professor Welshman Ncube and vice chairman, Tendai Biti were bitterly opposed to participating in the national dialogue while co-vice president and secretary general, Elias Mudzuri and Douglas Mwonzora respectively were supportive of the initiative.
“Chamisa and his other anti-dialogue proponents met at the party’s Harvest House this week where he made it clear that he would not participate in the national dialogue. He felt that attending the dialogue sessions would place him under (President) Mnangagwa which would contradict his legitimacy crisis narrative which he has been driving as a way of forcing ED to agree to a Government of National Unity (GNU) or a National Transitional Government which would accommodate him and some senior MDC officials,” said the source.
“Komichi, Biti and Ncube owe their political lives to Chamisa so they have no choice except to toe his line. As you know, Biti and Ncube left the MDC in 2014 and 2005 respectively and by 2018 they no longer had any political value to the electorate and are now using the lease of political life which Chamisa gave to them after (the late MDC T leader, Morgan) Tsvangirai died. Even if they have their own view points about the issue, they cannot openly oppose him.
The source, however, also disclosed that Chamisa was between a rock and a hard place as turning down the dialogue invitation would see him being regarded as the sole stumbling block to national progress and could incur the wrath of Western countries such as America which are viewing a dialogue involving all stakeholders including the MDC Alliance as the only way forward.
“Ari patight muchinda uyu (he is in trouble). America ordered that he and (President) Mnangagwa should sit down and talk but he knows that a positive dialogue outcome would mark his own political burial. This is why he refused to attend the State House initial meeting and opted to organise his own counter event, the prayer meeting under the Zimbabwe Council of Churches (ZCC),” said the source.
Chamisa’s side of the story could not be established as his spokesperson; Nkululeko Sibanda could not be reached while Mudzuri and Mwonzora referred this publication to the party spokesman, Jacob Mafume whose phone was switched off.
