Plot to hit Tsvangirai with eggs in the UK

By Moses Shupikai | Harare Bureau |

Members of the MDC Renewal Team in the UK plan to heckle founding party leader Morgan Tsvangirai during his visit to Birmingham on Saturday, Nehanda Radio can exclusively reveal. 

A concerned member of the Renewal Team in London told us “I am perplexed by the amount of time our members dwell on issues to do with Tsvangirai, yet we split from the former trade unionist to join the renewal project.”

Ever since Tsvangirai’s planned visit to the UK was made public, the Renewal Team has been on the offensive, planning how to embarrass him publicly. Nehanda Radio has obtained exclusive exchanges between the members, advocating for Tsvangirai to be ‘pelted with eggs.’

Apparently, in one of the exchanges, directed towards the coordinator of the renewal team in the UK, one of the members, identified as Allan Matenga says ‘He (Tsvangirai) must be pelted with eggs and be embarrassed publicly.’

He rumbles on; ‘After all eggs will not hurt him but will simply mess him up a bit. He is an attention and publicity seeker (and) that stunt will give him the media coverage he deserves. Politics is not a gentle game so why should we want to be gentle with him when he is so violent.’

Nehanda Radio understands the coordinator of the Renewal Team in the UK is Taurai Chamboko, a close colleague of Tendai Biti and a law enforcement officer with one of the British Police Constabularies. He appears though to be against attacking Tsvangirai, aware maybe of the repercussions if one is arrested and charged with committing violence.

A source in Harare told us that Chamboko contested in the party primaries in Chitungwiza and lost. Following the defeat, he has tried to blame his misery on Nelson Chamisa, the party’s organising secretary accusing him of ‘rigging’ the primaries against him. But Chamisa has vehemently denied rigging the St Mary’s primary elections.

On Tuesday Nehanda Radio sought comment from Chamboko and he told us he was in Germany.

“Not sure what you are talking about. I will ring you when I get to my hotel room,” he said.

We had received no detailed response by the time this story was published.

Apart from Chomboko, other members appear also to be against ‘pelting Tsvangirai with eggs’ pointing out that it is ‘barbaric.’

One wrote; ‘We should remember that we also need our leaders to come over sometime. Kana zvoitirwa vedu tinozofara here? (Do you think we will be happy if this happens to our leaders as well?).

Apart from attacking Tsvangirai, the Renewal Team is planning to infiltrate the rally and ask the MDC-T leader ‘uncomfortable’ questions about his personal life and what they perceive as ‘dictatorial’ tendencies.

The Renewal Team in the UK, has among some its members Jenatry Chihota, the deputy organizing secretary of the MDC-T UK executive, Ottilia Chiwashira a former women’s chair in the UK, Chamboko and Stanford Biti. Some of the renewal members are known in MDC circles to be perennial mischief makers and opportunists.

Stanford Biti (Tendai Biti’s brother) is meanwhile no stranger to controversy and using eggs to make political statements. In September 2009 MDC official, Peter Matsa claimed that Biti had attacked him with a bunch of eggs during the party’s annual Assembly in Milton Keynes.

“He is known …he is Zimbabwean; his name is Stanford Biti. He is known by all the people,” Matsa, from Southbeds said in Shona.

“Anozivikanwa kana ari wekuZimbabwe; anonzi Stanford Biti. Anozivikanwa nevanhu vese…” he shouted at the time.

Dr Maxwell Shumba, Tsvangirai’s Chief Political Strategist confirmed he’s well aware of the plans to disrupt the rally in Birmingham.

‘Yes we have all the details of their plans. They are bitter that their ill conceived project is failing hence their fixation with President Tsvangirai. As for President Tsvangirai’s trip we have beefed up security for the rally and dinner and we have put in plans and we inundated by inquiries from Zimbabweans and friends of Zimbabwe who want to come and hear him the bona fide leader of the struggle speak,’ said Shumba.

Shumba warned that all mischief makers will be dealt with accordingly by the police. Event organizers have drawn up a list of potential trouble-makers ahead of Saturday’s rally.

‘Our call to all those who want to be at this event is to heed our call to behave. This is not the time for petty politics and we recommend that all Zimbabweans in the UK should take this opportunity to listen to the MDC President as he communicates to them and the world at large his vision for the party and country post the disputed 2013 elections,’ added Shumba.

He continued; ‘The trip which is dubbed ‘After 2013 disputed Election- The way Forward’ should be a welcome event for all well meaning Zimbabweans and who have their country at heart.’