The group of MDC rebels took their game to Harare Showgrounds on Saturday, were the attendance clearly underlined the failure of their rebellion.
Here is how and why.
Less than 300 people attended the meeting, which the Tendai Biti group had hoped to make a massive statement and impact in terms of their capacity and success of their project.
The numbers at Saturday’s meeting are largely consistent with attendances at other meetings the MDC rebels have been holding in other places across the country — which have been in the regions of between 50 to 250 people.
The Biti group has been claiming to be holding meetings of MDC structures, and, two quick points arise here.
First, that is a lie, because, in reality, the meetings have been attended by a cocktail of very few members from MDC structures, as well as any other invited along, or just having various interests to be available for.
That includes spies and observers from anywhere one can think of, MDC, Zanu PF and CIO.
I know of a couple of individuals that are attending the meetings to record and take notes, for various destinations.
To that end, the meetings are not in fact being attended by MDC structures as they purport.
I will revert to this aspect later when l unpack the issue of the real mission of the Biti group.
The second quick point is that by their own false claim, the MDC rebels are confirming a disastrous failure.
For, their meetings are a farce, in terms of MDC structures, which they purport to be meeting, and attempt to give an impression of winning over.
Here is how.
A single district in Harare, such as Highfield, Mbare or Mabvuku in terms of MDC structures has more than 100 elected members, from ward level, and in the main wing, women and youth assemblies.
That means, in terms of numbers of structures, when the MDC Harare Province convenes and invites position holders openly, the number will exceed 2 000.
Now, an estimate by someone who attended Saturday’s meeting, there were less than 50 mainly expelled members of any structures in Harare and Chitungwiza provinces of the MDC.
By a small margin of variation, that has been the trend across the country in places where the Biti group has been holding its meetings.
It is important to contextualise a crucial point and aspect many people are missing.
It is that, the primary and main objective of the Biti group has always been that of taking over power in the MDC, never mind the various masks and camouflages they have been giving to it.
Other ways to put it include that, they have been, for a long time, plotting to win over the majority of structures and supporters in their fight to topple or destroy the leadership of Morgan Tsvangirai.
Therefore, the Biti group has sunk into a gigantic flop, because, from the structures which were there in January, they are having less than 50 people attending their meeting from Harare and Chitungwiza provinces, where the MDC has more than 3 000 people within the structures.
The rebellion was always going to be tested on the grounds of numbers that would be won over, in comparison to those that would stay.
Attempts to celebrate or find courage in the pathetic numbers, describing them as ‘‘a good start’’, are nothing short of being desperate.
That is because, the project was never for ‘‘starting’’, but unquestionably about taking over power in one of the country’s biggest political party.
One needs to be foolish to overlook the strength and popularity of the MDC and just start claiming an agenda of a new political party, or alternative.
We witnessed that stupidity from the corner of the NCA late last year, and, no prizes for explaining what happened to them.
In the same vein, the claims, of more significant numbers still waiting to join them from the MDC structures, can only be nonsensical.
If one factors in that the Biti group had meticulously seized both funds and party assets, which played a huge role in luring members of MDC structures, the flop becomes a scandal.
In other words, even with their controversial financial muscle, which Samuel Sipepa Nkomo boasted of as being ‘‘financially sound’’ — they managed to win over only a handful of members of the MDC structures.
To prove my point, not even a single structure of the MDC at any level has been reported to have collapsed due to movement into joining the rebel group.
That is why the Morgan Tsvangirai leadership in the MDC is not scrambling to hunt for support, or to form ‘‘our own party’’ like the Biti group is doing, which doesn’t have any structure or the numbers.
Back to the first ‘‘quick point’’, the fact that the meetings of the Biti group which are open to all sorts of elements are pathetically falling short on numbers, further reveals and exposes another key dimension.
It is that, even beyond the structures and scope of the MDC, the Biti project has failed to gain traction and following.
It means, for example, at the Saturday meeting in Harare, less than 100 non-MDC former or current structure members attended.
In other words, this symbolises the project’s capacity to attract “new members” or “recruits”, where offers of “allowances” are dangled.
For Harare and Chitungwiza, that is a joke, farce and non-starter.
Because, the Biti group has been trying to ride on the claim and false momentum of being the “new alternative”, which, given the political dynamics and national anxiety, would have attracted a significant interest and flood, if it was real and credible.
Implying that, having failed to even significantly erode Tsvangirai’s support, the Biti group is dismally failing to also lure support from outside the party.
In short, the Biti project is a non-event, a flop.
The real political dynamics, territories and strongholds of the Zimbabwean society have barely been altered or shaken.
The numbers unequivocally tell the story.
One gets to understand why, in these compelling circumstances, thei group has continued dithering on taking a decisive move towards launching their party.
They will eventually launch, in my view, but inevitably into officially becoming a controversial, even insignificant small political party — because, it is a game of numbers, PERIOD!
It was, from the beginning, predicated on lies, deception, hypocrisy, double standards and even apparent confusion.
Those traits have convinced the people that were primarily meant to back it, to choose to stay behind and stick with Tsvangirai.
