Madhuku says Ncube being used by Zanu PF

By Pindai Dube and Everson Mushava

The National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) chairman Lovemore Madhuku has said Zanu PF has roped in leader of the smaller MDC faction Welshman Ncube on the principal’s table because they have found him useful in undermining Tsvangirai.

Madhuku was speaking in Harare on Tuesday at a public debate, “Beyond the Universal Periodic Review (UPR): Lessons for Zimbabwe” hosted by Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), a debate meant to review the submissions by Zimbabwe at the UPR meeting in Geneva last month.

According to Madhuku, the fact that Ncube was allowed to attend the anti-violence indaba a fortnight ago as a coalition government principal showed that Zanu PF had caved in to his demands to be recognised as the legitimate MDC leader. Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara used to represent the smaller MDC faction before and after he was ousted from party presidency.

Madhuku said Zanu PF might have given in to Ncube’s demands because he had been useful to them in de-campaigning Tsvangirai, who is set to be President Robert Mugabe’s greatest challenge in the watershed elections set for next year or 2013.

Tsvangirai recently published a book “At the Deep End” where he revealed that the MDC split in 2005 was caused by former South African president Thabo Mbeki in collaboration with Ncube.

While Ncube is attacking Tsvangirai, he is in the middle of a leadership wrangle with Mutambara and the High Court in Bulawayo yesterday reserved judgment on the matter. Daily News