The Morgan Tsvangirai-led opposition is not prepared to
contest in any national election as the party is in shambles, senior MDC-T
official Mr Eddie Cross has said.
In an interview with The Sunday Mail, frank-talking Mr
Cross said it was “quite obvious” that the 2018 harmonised elections were
approaching with turmoil in opposition ranks. He said: “I think that’s quite
obvious to everybody. The opposition is nowhere near ready for elections. The
MDC Alliance has potential, but has not put its act together.”
Mr Cross reiterated remarks he made on his blog on
Christmas, writing off the opposition and expressing confidence in President
Emmerson Mnangagwa’s leadership. The post read, in part: “Mnangagwa is in
absolute control of the State and I think he is going to deliver. One of the
key elements behind this strategy is that he knows the opposition is in
shambles.
“. . . He has a very sharp mind and a sense of humour, but
if you do take him on, expect no prisoners . . . The one thing I know about
this man is that he is an operator and should not be underestimated.”
MDC-T spokesperson Mr Obert Gutu tried to downplay major
contradictions in the alliance, saying: “Morgan Tsvangirai is our leader and he
is also the MDC Alliance presidential candidate for the 2018 elections. There
are absolutely no disagreements in the MDC-T regarding the MDC Alliance.
“There is a lot of fake news that is being generated by
misguided elements, particularly on social media. We are not worried one bit
about these purveyors of fake news since we are already on a roll.” The MDC
Alliance is in the throes of power struggles, with the latest ignited by a plan
to allocate parliamentary constituencies which each party will run for come
2018.
MDC-T secretary-general Mr Douglas Mwonzora torched the
storm by announcing that his party had begun selecting candidates. Other alliance
members saw this as an attempt by the MDC-T to hoodwink them, and Mr Tsvangirai
was forced to chastise Mr Mwonzora publicly.
The grouping comprises Transform Zimbabwe, Multi-Racial
Christian Democrats, MDC-T, ZimPF, People’s Democratic Party, MDC and Zanu
Ndonga. Collaboration among its members has been shaky since the alliance’s
launch in August 2017 as key figures in the MDC-T remain uneasy about their
“smaller partners”.
Mr Tsvangirai’s deputy, Ms Thokozani Khupe, national
chairman Mr Lovemore Moyo and organising secretary Mr Abednico Bhebhe snubbed
that launch. Now reports indicate that some senior MDC-T officials want Mr
Tsvangirai, who was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2016, to step down Sunday
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