MUTARE - Morgan Tsvangirai’s provincial executive yesterday co-opted at least nine party members to fill a vacuum left by a group that broke away to the former secretary general Tendai Biti’s renewal team.
Irimai Mkwashi, Naison Nemadziya, David Chimhini, Sangani Mubatanhema, Ngaaite Zimunya, Willard Chimbetete, Trevor Saruwaka and Patrick Chitaka have been nominated by the party’s 26 district representatives to replace those that left.
Former Mutasa South MP Misheck Kagurabadza has been the only Manicaland provincial executive member who remained in the party.
The co-opted members form the management committee that will run the affairs of the party until the MDC congress slated for October this year.
Kagurabadza is the Manicaland provincial secretary.
Kagurabadza said other provincial executive party members had left the party; including former provincial chair Julius Magarangoma, and his deputy Shuah Mudiwa.
Others that have dumped the mainstream MDC are Manicaland provincial spokesperson, Pishai Muchauraya; organising secretary Prosper Mutseyami, Women’s Assembly chairperson Keresenzia Chabuka and the entire youth assembly executive chaired by Dennis Simango, except Llyod Mahute, the youth secretary.
Kagurabadza said he was going to brief the party’s organising committee in Harare tomorrow and have the co-opted members’ positions regularised.
“My task is now to inform the leadership in Harare about the decision made here by the district representatives to have an interim leadership for the party in the province,” Kagurabadza said.
“My work had become difficult owing to the absence of a full executive committee for the province. My job will be a lot easier with the management committee that you (district representatives) have put in place.”
He said the party will not lose direction as a result of a people that have decided to leave the movement at this time.
The party’s national organising secretary Lynette Karenyi-Kore, who attended the meeting yesterday at the party’s provincial offices in Darlington suburb, said the struggle for democracy would continue minus those that had broken ranks with the party.
“As a party, those that have left are like the children of Israel born during the sojourn in the desert that are ignorant of the hardships experienced in Egypt under pharaoh.
“Those will not enjoy the fruits of the promised land; Canaan under Morgan Tsvangirai,” said Karenyi-Kore.
Former minister of Housing and Social amenities an MDC national executive member Giles Mtsekwa said the MDC would be better off without the “rebels”.
“A bicycle will lose all of its other parts, but the main frame that holds those parts will remain intact,” he said.
“This is the same scenario we have. You are the main frame and those that have gone the other ways are irrelevant as they will be replaced.”
At the meeting, party members repainted the provincial office that had been plastered with red graffiti. They swept it clean, saying they had won a court order last week on its ownership.
On Friday, the MDC youth assembly for Manicaland province led by Dennis Simango resigned enmase in protest at what they said was “use of organized and sponsored violence against party members by senior members of the party.”
The youth assembly said the party was being personalised and that there was imposition of candidates in the 2013 harmonised elections.
For those reasons, the youth assembly announced their resolution to “officially join our colleagues in the MDC renewal in pursuit of democratic goals.”
Party spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora dismissed the move as a “publicity stunt.”