Press statement by the MDC-T rebels

Press Statement by the “MDC Team” Spokesperson, Jacob Mafume 

Saturday, 5 April 2014, in Harare

The people of Zimbabwe are suffering from a collapsing national economy with thousands of citizens losing jobs every month as companies are closing down due to viability challenges.

The economic collapse is a result of a crisis of legitimacy following the July 31 grand electoral theft by Zanu PF and sadly the Robert Mugabe’s government has demonstrated that it has no capacity to tackle the national crisis that we face.

High level corruption by senior Zanu PF officials is rampant and this has resulted in the country’s national assets being looted for personal and factional benefits at the expense of the people. As a result, the people’s living conditions continue to deteriorate daily as they have failed to access basic social services that include health, education, water, electricity and sanitation.

Given these challenges, the country needs a strong alternative political party that is able to save the people of Zimbabwe from the current crisis. Regrettably, just like Zanu PF, the current MDC that is led by Morgan Tsvangirai has failed to provide not that leadership, which is capable of resolving the national crisis.

Post July 31, the MDC has remained internally focussed and as such has failed to come up with a national strategy that deals with the stolen election and resolve the economic challenges facing the people of Zimbabwe.

Instead, the party has exhibited a serious departure from its core responsibility of articulating alternative policies and providing solutions to the national crisis.

Added to this, the MDC led by Tsvangirai, has exhibited a serious departure from its core values as evidenced by the use of violence, a blatant disregard of the party’s Constitution, intolerance, personification of the people’s struggle, Zanufication of the party processes and undemocratic approaches to decision making.

Regrettably, such tendencies have alienated genuine democrats within the party to the point where differences in value propositions have reached irreconcilable proportions.

It is against this sad background, that there has been an emergence of the MDC Team, which is advocating for a return to the party’s founding values and the need to intensify our focus on tackling the national crisis.

Over the last few weeks, the MDC Team has intensified and broadened its strategy towards a broad based debate aimed at ensuring that there is leadership renewal that gives the party a new impetus in dealing with the national challenges that are confronting us.

The MDC Team believes that there is need to revive the people’s democratic project so as to restore the people’s hope in a credible and democratic alternative that is able to deliver jobs, better health, education and a better life for all in a truly democratic Zimbabwe.

Our idea is that the only arrangement that will move Zimbabwe forward is a coalition of winners and progressive Zimbabweans transcending gender, race, age, class, ethnic background and old political allegiances. We believe that a united democratic movement that builds a broad social movement will deliver a democratic transition in Zimbabwe and the time for such a movement is now.

We believe that a united democratic movement that builds a broad based social movement will deliver a democratic transition in Zimbabwe and the time for such a movement is now.

We call upon all democrats that are locked up in undemocratic institutions to come forward and participate in the united front to bring about a positive change in Zimbabwe.

We want to assure all Zimbabweans that as the remaining genuine democrats in the MDC, we are committed to advancing a democratic transition in the country and we will be advising you of further developments in due course.

I thank you!!!