‘Brace for demos’ Tsvangirai

via ‘Brace for demos’ Tsvangirai – NewsDay Zimbabwe June 30, 2014 by Paidamoyo Muzulu / Nqobani Ndlovu

EMBATTLED MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai yesterday rallied his party youths to brace for mass demonstrations to pressure the Zanu PF government to generate employment and stimulate the economy.

Addressing a campaign rally at Ziko, Seke communal area just outside Chitungwiza, Tsvangirai said: “Cowardice has affected this country, the youths should be brave and face the enemy demanding the promised jobs.”

He added that he had snubbed some foreign diplomats who were asking him to stop holding campaign rallies.

“One diplomat told us to stop doing rallies. We will not stop from campaigning so that their preferred candidates can gain ground.”

Addressing the same rally, MDC-T returnee Job Sikhala said: “We are prepared to die for you [Tsvangirai]. We cannot continue to wait while things deteriorate and it’s high time we bring to an end this fight with [President Robert] Mugabe.”

Meanwhile, MDC-T national organising secretary Nelson Chamisa was nearly assaulted on Saturday in Bulawayo during a closed-door meeting held at the party’s provincial offices after he dismissed the MDC-T Veterans’ Association (MDC VA) — a grouping of founding party members — as bogus.

Chamisa was in the city to oversee the holding of elections to fill vacant posts of provincial chairperson, secretary and youth assembly chairperson in the provincial executive.

The elections were aborted at the last minute.

Sources said security saved Chamisa from being assaulted by MDC VA member Samuel Maponde during the heated meeting.

Chamisa confirmed the chaos, saying Maponde was disrupting the meeting and had to be booted out by security details.