Simba Makoni launches political party

By Denford Magora

Wednesday 1 July 2009, Dr Simba Makoni finally launches the Mavambo.Kusile.Dawn party. Yes, the party will be known as Mavambo.Kusile.Dawn

The launch will be held at Stoddart Hall in Mbare, a teeming high-density suburb of Harare, the capital city. The function starts at 10:30a.m.

The party launches with an interim leadership to be headed by Dr Makoni and will start rolling out formal structures all over the country soon after that.

Already, I understand delegates from all the provinces of Zimbabwe have registered for the event, the most exciting political development in the country since the launch of the Inclusive Government of Robert Mugabe (The Solution) and Morgan Tsvangirai.

In a sign of just how little things have changed, the new party had to seek police clearance to hold the launch meeting, and the clearance was delivered to the party offices in Harare only this morning, paving the way for the announcement to be officially made.

I will give a full account of the proceedings here soon after the event itself is done.

All I can say is that finally, the people of Zimbabwe will have a true alternative, headed by the cleanest politician in Zimbabwe (who even refused to be allocated a farm while MDC-T politicians fall over each other to grab the remaining farms).

second update……

It is just after 9 in the morning in Zimbabwe and there is quite a crowd, according to our people on he ground. Most can not fit inside the hall, so some have gathered outside, where two flags are flying: the Zimbabwe flag and the Mavambo flag.

Dr Makoni will be arriving after 10 this morning at the hall to deliver his launch speech.

At the office, it is a hive of activity (you will have to excuse that particular cliche – very bad, I know, but that is how it is), with the phones ringing off the hook and people confirming their attendance.

And would you know it, after word got out yesterday that Dr Makoni and MKD will be launching the party at 10:30a.m. today, the Prime Minister immediately announced that he would be holding a briefing of his own at exactly the time.

He made the announcement yesterday after midday.

Still, his is not a public event, but restricted to the media and diplomats. Even so, the media is excited at the launch of MKD, with almost every single one of them saying, “We have been waiting for this.”

I was very surprised at the genuine delight from the media when the invitations were extended to them.

I was going to try and live-blog the launch ceremony and I may still do that.

To check if I am online and blogging the launch LIVE and as it happens, just scroll down to the bottom of the page, where the chatroll will be attached and where will be reporting the event live.

Keep in mind that the event starts at 10:30a.m. Harare time.

If not, I will update the blog as soon as the event is finished!