HOT SEAT: Coltart says: Mutambara faction is still viable

With Violet Gonda
25 April 2006

Although the two warring MDC factions have been conducting their separate rallies and activities there is still the outstanding issue of ownership of the party name and assets. The MDC MP for Bulawayo South and the party's former legal secretary David Coltart, who has been trying to act as mediator to help find a resolution to the party's split, has said his efforts have hit a snag.
Speaking in a two part series on the program Hot Seat, Coltart said he has been trying to get both sides to recognise that they could function independently of each other and in a way that will ensure the struggle to bring democracy was not tampered with or hindered in any way.
But despite writing a letter to both sides setting out the contentious issues and the process to resolve them, Coltart says he has only received a response from the Arthur Mutambara led faction of the MDC.
Some analysts have said the large turnouts for the Morgan Tsvangirai led rallies and the recent defections from the other faction have made his camp grow in confidence, with a feeling that it did not need to negotiate. Coltart responded to this by saying, “Well I think it may entrench their position on this but I think if it’s their feeling it’s unfortunate for a variety of reasons: I think firstly, one cannot dispute the fact that irrespective of what’s happened in the last six months that some highly significant leaders of the MDC have split away.”
He added, “It’s wishful thinking that these people (in the Mutambara faction) who were very effective members of parliament, can be said to be irrelevant now.”
The legal expert also believes that if mediation fails it is not in anybody’s interest for this dispute to be resolved by the courts. “It is very clear that the Tsvangirai faction is attracting a greater number of people than the Mutambara faction, but that doesn’t help in court.” A court hearing would mean the future of the opposition party would be left in the hands of Zanu PF to decide.
Many believe Tsvangirai is still a powerful force in Zimbabwe politics. He appears to have the numbers behind him and the recent defections from the Mutambara faction have led some to believe that that side is literally falling apart.

When asked if a side that is shrinking in numbers deserves any assets Coltart responded, “ Politics is all about marketing…the Tsvangirai faction has the advantage at this stage that the name MDC is very closely linked to Morgan Tsvangirai and it has been deliberately marketed in that way in the last six years… and in the short term it is inevitable that wherever Morgan Tsvangirai is, people will naturally link his presence to the name MDC.”

But Coltart said this is not the end of the Mutambara faction as it has formidable people. He said people like Professor Welshman Ncube, Priscilla Misihairambwi Mushonga and Paul Temba Nyathi cannot just be written off as they have also contributed to the struggle. “That is why there needs to be mediation … and avoid the unseemly sight of those former comrades battling it out in the courts.” He believes this faction has more of a long-term view of the struggle.

Right now the MDC under Tsvangirai is in the process of mobilising people for mass action, while the pro-senate camp is shrinking, but Coltart believes in the long term this group may be able to become a viable opposition party. When asked if Zimbabwe has the time to wait for the Mutambara camp Coltart said any patriotic Zimbabwean hopes that mass action would be achieved but added; “On the other side they will say this is not the first time that such an ambitious goal has been set. The tragedy of Zimbabwe is that statements have been made in the past that Mugabe would be gone by Christmas and it hasn’t happened.”

The MP also expressed concern over what he described as the extreme intolerance shown by many Zimbabweans about the right of the Mutambara faction to believe what they believe. Coltart said the Mutambara faction has the right to hold their views and all democratic people should respect that.

Join David Coltart for more on this discussion on the programme Hot Seat. Some have labelled Coltart as biased towards the Mutambara/Ncube faction, although he has in the past refused to take a personal position. Next Tuesday Violet will be asking David Coltart about his personal views on which MDC group he is going to join? Who is primarily responsible for the violence and break up of the MDC? And among other issues - whether or not he now sees the MDC as a viable party that can lead mass action?