MDC Restructuring

By Violet Gonda
20 December 2004

The crisis-ridden opposition party is in the process of restructuring the party’s 12 provinces ahead of a National Congress scheduled for February. The outspoken MDC official and commercial farmer Roy Bennett was at the weekend elected Provincial Chairman for Manicaland at a regional congress attended by over 850 delegates. He becomes the first white person to hold such a position since the formation of the MDC in 1999. There is also consensus among the MDC structures to appoint Mrs Muloyi head of the opposition in Bulawayo province. If elected she would become the first woman to hold that position in the opposition.

The restructuring was necessitated by a split in the party leadership over the recent senate elections and other procedural issues. The dispute has had a devastating effect on the MDC's support base. To discuss these crucial issues and a possible way forward, we spoke to Roy Bennett in his new role as provincial chairman.