Renewal Team congress under threat

via Renewal Team congress under threat – NewZimbabwe 05/07/2015

THE MDC Renewal Team has barred party politicians from conducting any internal campaigns for leadership posts, less than a month before the party’s elective congress.

It has also emerged that the much-hyped congress could fail to take place after all with insiders admitting they were not yet decided over dates, venue and format to be used in choosing the group’s leadership.

But the group’s lack of preparedness has been betrayed by a conspicuous failure by party politicians to publicly bid for leadership positions as is usually the case in most organisations.

“These things do not arise as of now because we have not issued instructions that games must begin,” party chairperson and interim leader Sam Sipepa Nkomo told NewZimbabwe.com weekend.

“Whatever we are doing we are doing it quietly; we do not want to be like other teams.”

Nkomo, who later referred this reporter to party spokesperson Jacob Mafume, said there was no confusion in the camp as their supporters were already familiar with the process that they are trying to adopt.

Mafume, on his part, said congress dates were deliberately being withheld as the party was yet to decide which among the Gweru venues would be available for use.

He further revealed his party has only just started soliciting for views from its ordinary membership on the best approach to use in conducting its elective process.

“We have not opened the nomination process,” he said.

“What we have said is that the leadership should start discussing the names they would like to bring forward to be nominated for certain positions.

“We are trying to do a consensus approach; where there is no consensus on a particular individual we then subject that to an electoral process.”

The MDC Renewal Team has been dogged by continued indecision since its shock split from the Morgan Tsvangirai led MDC April last year.

It is strongly felt a series of misfortunes which have seen all its 21 MPs dislodged from Parliament for ditching the main party has contributed to the current snarl-up.

The ambitious group has ironically failed to elect its own substantive leadership, 15 months since party hawks like Tendai Biti publicly chastised Tsvangirai for refusing to call for a snap elective congress.

The party has seen the unceremonious resignation of its interim leader Sekai Holland and a further split by a handful of its members led by former energy minister and kingpin of last year’s split, Elton Mangoma.

The fresh squabbles have also stalled the group’s envisaged merger with another party faction led by Professor Welshman Ncube.