By Lance Guma
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Five MP’s who last year deserted Welshman Ncube to support Arthur Mutambara in the intra-party feud have now deserted the Deputy Prime Minister to join the larger MDC led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.
The five MP’s including Deputy Speaker of Parliament Nomalanga Khumalo (Umzingwane), Maxwell Dube (Tsholotsho South), Thandeko Mnkandla (Gwanda North) and Senators Dalumuzi Khumalo (Lupane) and Kembo Dube (Senator for Umzingwane) were sacked by the smaller MDC led by Ncube.
They however did not lose their parliamentary seats after Mutambara claimed they belonged to his faction. It now means from the March 2008 parliamentary elections, a total of 8 legislators from the Ncube and Mutambara’s factions have now gone full circle and gone back to the larger MDC led by Tsvangirai.
Last year the Ncube-led MDC fired eight legislators and 49 councillors on allegations of defecting to the MDC-T.
“We have fired 49 councillors, 33 in Matabeleland North, 15 in Matabeleland South and one in Bulawayo. The party has also officially fired the already expelled legislators Abdenico Bhebhe (Nkayi South), Njabuliso Mguni (Bulilima East) and Norman Mpofu (Lupane East),” the party said at the time.
This meant the party was left with 6 legislators in National Healing co-minister Moses Mzila-Ndlovu, Education minister David Coltart, Foreign Affairs deputy minister Robert Makhula, Siyabonga Malandu Ncube (MP) Patrick Dube and Edward Mkhosi (MP).
Professor Ncube and Professor Mutambara are engaged in a fierce battle for control of the party and the case has spilled into the courts. Mutambara and 13 other officials of the original smaller MDC are challenging the validity of the January 2011 congress that elected Ncube as party president.
