Leicester meeting of MDC-UK faction

By Tererai Karimakwenda
23 January 2006

A rival MDC faction in the UK led by Sipho Nkala held a meeting in Leicester this Sunday, where the agenda was to define if the group wants to follow the party constitution or support individuals. The Nkala faction does not recognise the District chairman Washington Ali, whose camp organised a successful meeting in Birmingham 2 weeks earlier, which Nkala said was null and void. Givemore Chindawi, who was elected the new organising secretary, told us that the meeting was well-attended for a district gathering, with about 100 branches in the UK participating.

The group co-opted a new executive led by former Treasurer Silence Chihuri, who got the position in place of Washington Ali. Chindawi said they had given Ali a chance to join them and remain unified at a December 11 th meeting, but Ali had decided to support the MDC faction led by president Morgan Tsvangirai. Chindawi said they resolved to remain neutral in the MDC feud and will wait until after the party’s two congresses to make a decision on whom to support. He added that they hoped for a unified MDC back home.

A source from the Ali camp however disputed the version of events narrated by Chindawi, saying only about 38 people attended the meeting in Leicester.

The Nkala group, now led by Chihuri, has long been accused of serving the interests of the MDC faction led by Gibson Sibanda. But Chindawi repeated their claim that they are neutral. The Ali camp that held its meeting in Birmingham, proclaimed during its deliberations that they were fully behind party President Morgan Tsvangirai and were severing ties with the Sibanda faction.

In Zimbabwe both MDC factions have announced they will be having their own annual party congress this year and with the advent of these 2 separate meetings, the MDC UK district has followed suit and split into 2 camps as well, imitating their leadership back home.