MDC-T surrenders Diaspora to wilderness

By Sibanengi Dube

The MDC led by Morgan Tsvangirai has just silenced their external voices by relegating provincial outside structures to coordinating committees. The once powerful provincial structures were pruned down to zero.

In the process millions of refugees committed to the MDC were literally disengaged from Harvest House.  The party loyalists who were chased out of Zimbabwe by Zanu PF are no longer represented in the party’s highest decision making body, the National Council.

Renowned MDC-T activists domiciled outside Zimbabwe intending to contest incoming elections also received a brush-off from their labour backed party. They were repudiated and canned as ‘opportunists’ by party spokesman Douglas Mwonzora.

The decision by Harvest House to discard cadres who were forced to leave Zimbabwe due to ZANU PF persecution has irked millions of exiled Zimbabweans.

Roy Bennett, the Party’s exiled Treasurer-General came out with his guns blazing, accusing is colleagues in the Inclusive government of joining the Zanu PF gravy train. The straight talking Bennett lashed out at MDC bosses who he denigrated as having adopted Zanu PF arrogance.

“The idea that those at home are heroes is also based on a lie. Are those outside not suffering? Is it not true that our brothers and sisters outside are there because of Zanu PF?

“Is it not true that they have been brutalised and lost their jobs?  Aren’t our people in the Diaspora living in poor housing and working themselves to the bone for the beloved ones at home,’’ lamented Bennett on his Facebook wall.

A member of the disbanded MDC-T SA structure, who requested anonymity, placed the blame on national leaders who are scared of being challenged in primary elections by financially independent foreign based cadres.

“Our leaders are not comfortable with the Diaspora party leaders who have the capacity to beat them in the internal party elections. We will be taking this decision up with the President,” he said.

The luxurious life styles of MDC leaders already on government feeding troughs came under scrutiny following the abhorred decision. They claim to detest the Inclusive Government yet their lips drip with thick delicious bisque from the inclusive cookie jar while those they claim to represent rummage for survival.

Some are throwing up citadels on hill-tops adjacent to Zanu PF spacious castles. Bennett attacked them as confused individuals living like “kings while pretending to be heroes.” What the Chinja leadership seems not to realise is that people are neither imprudent nor sightless.

The majority of MDC security personnel who became instant Zanu PF targets fled Zimbabwe after forfeiting everything they had including their families. The majority of them migrated to South Africa where they are squatting at the Central Methodist Church in Johannesburg.

Two prominent former Party security details, Nhamo Musekiwa and Remember Moyo died in squalor in Johannesburg after being neglected by the Party. Musekiwa was Tsvangirai’s head of security until he picked up trouble with Zanu PF thugs and fled to Johannesburg.

Moyo spent years in jail attending trial on trumped up charges of killing Zanu PF’s Cain Nkala. Solomon Sox Chikohwero, a former MDC security operative has been holed in Johannesburg for more than five years. He is wanted in Zimbabwe for offering security services to Zanu PF’s arch rival, MDC.

Sox skipped his mother’s funeral last year for fear of facing Solomon Madzore’s current situation. These are the people the MDC is arrogantly discarding like lepers.

The majority of professionals scavenging for their livelihood in foreign lands were kicked out of the Civil Service for supporting MDC.  What is shocking about the segmentation of party supporters by the top leadership is the poor timing.

MDC enjoys unquestionable support from millions of exiled Zimbabweans in South African who are prepared to visit Zimbabwe and vote against Zanu PF. However disowning supporters can never be the best option for a serious political party like MDC.

There is a vague inference which is being attached to Diasporas by Party leaders at home. The Diasporas are owlishly seen as fraidy-cats who abandoned the struggle. They are conveniently dismissed as cowards.

Is this not strategic retreatment? I am yet to hear of a genuine struggle which is only confined to national borders. The Zanu PF leadership was in exile when they took on Ian Smith. Part of the ANC leadership went into exile in their struggle against apartheid.

Avoiding an enemy’s bullet is not a sign of cowardice. Who would choose to be martyr? Who wants to be in Solomon Madzore’s shoes? Have we not all zipped our mouths about Madzore’s situation in order to save our skins?

The leaders of the MDC are immune from Zanu PF brutality because of the profile of offices which they occupy. They are the safest individuals in Zimbabwe, but Party followers are not.

MDC-T Secretary General Tendai Biti can publicly thwack Augustine Chihure (Chihuri) and get away with it but a party supporters are losing lives for attending MDC rallies.

Another rare phenomenon surfaced within MDC. People in Diaspora are reportedly disqualified from contesting any election on MDC ticket simply because they are earning their livelihood outside Zimbabwe.

What exactly informs such a decision is difficult to merit even as a passing sneer. Even MDC 99 will never arrive at such a decision.

Zimbabweans residing in or outside the country will decide the composition of their government leaders. Resorting to such desperate methods in an effort to cling to positions by leaders of a party enjoying unprecedented high moral ground is shocking.

Why should geographical locations of postulants be used as a benchmark to choose candidates to represent the party in an election? Why? Whose interest is this criterion serving?

“We are sorry for some opportunists who think that things are now safer who come back and want to be elected. There will be no positions for them and the elections Directorate led by the party’s chairperson Lovemore Moyo is setting a criteria to deal with opportunists,” Mwonzora was quoted as saying in the media.

One wonders why everything should not be left to the electorate to decide. Why all of sudden new Party by-laws are being enacted everyday to stifle the way of new entrants to a plebiscite.

Have we become so enthralled with power to an extent that we would do whatever it takes to keep other comrades at bay? What is clear is that more energy and effort is being focussed on getting rid of vultures from within leaving Zanu PF loose?

Sibanengi Dube is a former spokesman for the MDC-T in South Africa.