Tsvangirai in emergency meeting with Harare Province

By Violet Gonda
15 October 2005

It's reported that leader of the MDC Morgan Tsvangirai has started to make moves to crush dissent in his party. It's reported that on Friday he wrote to the electoral commission formally informing it that the MDC will not contest next month's Senate elections. Tsvangirai allegedly told the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) that anyone from the opposition party standing in the poll would be doing so in their individual capacity.

An emergency meeting attended by the Tsvangirai, Youth and Women's Assembly chairpersons and officials from the Harare province resolved to campaign against the senatorial elections, Saturday.

Chairperson of the Women's Assembly Lucia Matibenga told us that the the grassroots are going to be mobilised as this decision was made for the good of the party and the country.

Morgan Tsvangirai held 6 rallies before the National Council met on Wednesday, and it's reported that at none of those rallies was he told by the people that they wanted to participate. Matibenga said, "If an individual is uncomfortable with this course which the party is going to take under the leadership of Morgan Tsvangirai, then it's very unfortunate. Usually they say if you can't take the heat get out of the kitchen."

The chairperson said the MDC will not participate in the senatorial election but campaign with like minded organisations like the National Constitutional Assembly for a people driven Constitution. She said the opposition party will also galvanise and mobilise democratic resistance to the dictatorship of the country.

There is much speculation about serious infiltration in the MDC by Zanu PF and others who would like to see the MDC annihilated. A division such as this plays perfectly into the hands of Zanu PF. Robert Mugabe has said his ruling party would happily consolidate its grip on power if the MDC boycotts this controversial Senate poll that has split the MDC ranks.