via Tsvangirai will go — MDC-T – NewsDay Zimbabwe July 19, 2014
KWEKWE — MDC-T president Morgan Tsvangirai has promised to quit if he is defeated at the party’s elective congress set for October in Harare.
Sources in the party said while addressing the Midlands North provincial executive during a closed door meeting on Thursday, Tsvangirai said he would not hang onto power if he lost his position at congress.
“He was clear that he will respect the wishes of the people. If he lost at congress, he would congratulate the winner and work as a member of the party to ensure that the MDC-T wins the next elections,” a source who attended the meeting said.
Tsvangirai’s position is up for grabs at congress and he was likely to be challenged by former Harare mayor Elias Mudzuri for leadership of the country’s biggest opposition party.
MDC-T spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora confirmed that Tsvangirai would indeed vacate his seat if he lost at congress.
“Yes, he will [go]. He will abide by the wishes of the people. What president Tsvangirai said and indeed the message repeated by the majority of those in the standing committee is that leaders are put or removed by congress not by boardroom arraignments or letters as [Elton] Mangoma and company tried to do. That is undemocratic, but through a democratic process, yes, the outcome of congress will be accepted,” Mwonzora said.
According to the sources, Tsvangirai also said the party should look at reducing the powers of the secretary-general to ensure that the position does not continue to hold command.
Mwonzora said the congress would amend the constitution especially with regard to the powers of the secretary-general.
“He [Tsvangirai] said the MDC must be strengthened structurally.
As a change agent, we have had two splits coming from the position of the secretary-general and there is need to streamline and make the position very clear regarding the powers, the limits and so on without compromising the fundamental principles of checks and balances,” he said.
Yesterday, MDC-T said President Robert Mugabe has no moral grounds to criticise Tsvangirai’s sex life.
Tsvangirai’s spokesperson Luke Tamborinyoka said Mugabe lacked moral integrity as he “flirted” with his secretary and now First Lady Grace nee Marufu at a time his wife, Sally, was on her deathbed.
He said the country had more serious issues like the ever plunging economy than to introspect on Tsvangirai’s personal life.
Tamborinyoka was responding to Mugabe’s sarcastic attack on Tsvangirai that he felt sorry for Tsvangirai over his exploits with women.
Mugabe was counselling men on moral rectitude at the burial of Major-General Eliah Bandama at the National Heroes Acre on Thursday.
But Tamborinyoka said Mugabe was throwing stones while living in a glass house.
“A nation reeling under a serious economic crisis today woke to the shocking realisation that Mugabe is more worried about Tsvangirai than an economy plodding towards an implosion,” he said. “Zimbabweans are facing a serious national crisis and the least they expect is unnecessary and needless diversions from key issues affecting them.”
Tamborinyoka said there was no need for Mugabe to refer to Tsvangirai’s sexcapades because the former trade unionist had already apologised to everyone who had been “inconvenienced” by his behaviour “during his search for a woman to marry after the death of his wife of 31 years”.
COMMENTS
Absolute rubbish. We have heard this before. The man should have gone on his own accord a long time ago after failure after failure after failure. He is here to stay and whatever the party people want will have to be built around him just as what is happening in ZANU-PF and, indeed, the rest of Africa.
Failure after failure to win rigged elections? Are you serious?What should he have done? Led street protests and got hundreds killed then you’d still accuse him of failure after failure?It’s easy to be an armchair critic isn’t it? Have you forgotten the promising albeit limited achievements of the GNU that showed a glimpse of what could be possible? Flawed as it was it happened under a united MDC and showed what’s possible
Zen
No its failure after failure in not reading the political mood in the country; in poor strategy formulation; refusing to listen to advice; refusal at collective leadership; and not implementing the GPA and demanding concrete reforms owing to his excitement over Monday teas with the gukurahundi!!
Why do you want him to go when WE need him? Simply because you don’t want him does not mean everyone should subscribe to your thinking. That’s the problem with the so called intellectuals, you regard yourselves highly and your opinions should be the gospel. And it is for this reason that any party coming from you guys will not see the light of the day. We the illiterate majority voted for Tsvangirai to be the President and it is us who’ll vote him out when the time comes not in airconditioned buildings, not through letters littered with heavy vocabulary, but at the Congress because despite our limited education, we fully understand what the word DEMOCRACY means.
At least there is a candidate standing against him.
There is only ever one, in ZANU.
As for failure after failure, maybe you might want to rethink that one?
The truth is the MDC under Tsvangirai has failed to bring any change and they certainly look clueless on how to remove ZANU-PF from power. So yes Tsvangirai has failed.
The GNU brought stability to a nose-diving economy and Tsvangirai was not even the big cheese.
ZANU has the country sewn so tight one cannot breathe.
The army, police, CIO and a yellow-bellied populace all conniving to keep it in power.
Still, the MDC continue to fight for what’s right.
What’s your suggestion Mr Sipho?
We know what MDC did during the GNU and I personally believe ZANU-PF will never improve this economy; not in a thousand years. And I also know how difficult it is to remove a despot who has personalized all the security organs of the state. But we have seen some strong opposition leaders do it in other countries. Examples are Chiluba in Zambia and Alassane Ouattara in Ivory Coast. This is what we expect Tsvangirai to do. The man only has one strategy which is to remove Mugabe through the ballot but we all know that Mugabe has said he will never be defeated by a pen. ZANU PF will rig every election and all that Tsvangirai will do afterwards is to mourn and prepare for the next elections which will be rigged again. Surely this guy is getting us no way. If he doesn’t have any other strategy then why don’t he let others try? Maybe the new leader can win over the security forces and remove Mugabe’s only trusted shield…..
Points taken.
But then, maybe instead of crying failure, a whispered word on direction change, is what’s needed?
United we stand……?
You mentioned Chiluba and other’s but they defeated a sitting president who admitted deaft and handed over power. Tsvangirayi defeated Mugabe in 2008 but Mugabe refused to go. So what more did you expect from Tsvangirayi. Start a war.
Alassane Ouattara defeated Laurent Gbagbo in Ivory Coast in 2010 but Gbagbo refused to vacate the office. He even swore himself in saying he is the victor. After the inauguration of Gbagbo, Ouattara, recognized as the winner by most countries and the United Nations, organized an alternative inauguration. The guy used his skills to win over some of the military commanders and fought for what was rightfully his. This my dear friends in the only way ZANU-PF will ever be unseated!! Anything else, sanctions included, is a waste of time. Now we need a leader with balls and the necessary skills. Our politics is not as easy as that of the USA or England. This is Africa, we do things differently here. You have to fight differently for what is rightfully yours. I am not saying we need war; no not at all. But we need a leader who can give us a different strategy guys. I say Tsvangirai will never take us to the promised land. Yes he has done his best to stand up to Mugabe but I guess his best is not good enough. Mark my words, come 2018 and the guy will be crying again. And worse now that the West seems to be slowly warming to Mugabe and ZANU PF!
Watari,the current Ivory coast president succeeded because he did have his own army,if Tswangirai had his army in 2008 election,what happened to Ivory could have happened in Zimbabwe simple,despite some of the stupid and thieves who wanted Bob to rape the Zimbabweans
I DONT BLAME U YOUR WORDS EXHIBIT SHORT TERM MEMORY PROBLEM
Ngoto
There is Nikuv in the MDC-T, the opposing candidate will go nowhere. MDC-T is full of pretences unlike ZANU PF. ZANU PF never pretends to be what they are not; one knows where one stands with them!!
Tanonoka you are crazy ,you know nothing about politics ,toda umbomirapo ukamborohwa pamwechete nezvaakaitwa hameno usasimudza hasha nemhepo hatitumwi nemunhu
I wonder if this is an election or an endorsing of Tsvangirai. Where will he go when he has already been endorsed before any election has been done at the so called congress. In MDC hear no evil and see no evil that’s very certain
izvi zvinoda kudzamisa pfungwa makatarisa ndiyani achava nemasimba akaita sea Morgan uye ndiani angakwanisa kubisa vamugabe pachigaro.
MT has been told on many occasions to “work” on the SF and CIO etc. Ideas have been suggested as to how this can be done. It is a fact that 70-80% of the lower and middle ranks in the SF etc want change. They need direction and leadership, also some way of expressing their opinion without getting locked up at best! This has not been forthcoming and available funding was spent of wine, women,song,new cars, overseas trips etc etc which achieved nothing. New blood is required.
@Insider Zanu pf has sewn the armed forces and the Police so tight and there are so many spies and informers amongst the spies and informers themselves that if you cough the wrong cough Zanu will know.With these people no one trusts anyone. The only way you can operate is as a Baba Jukwa and we all know where that will get you. What is needed is to wait for that window of opportunist to come by and when it does, slip through the window. It came in 2008 and we all missed a trick. If the MDC had not entered into the GNU Sadec would have looked foolish and Zanu would have eventually been neutralized. That is now old news. We have to now wait for the next opportunity which is on the horizon .
Doctor do little
Its MDC-T, as led by Tswangirayi; not MDC. MDC is led by Welshman Ncube. Even the last elections’ ballot boxes confirmed this!
Ballot papers, not ballot boxes. Correction!!
Straight Shooter you can call it as you like. Both MDC’s won enough seat together to form the then Government which they had agreed not to encroach in to certain constituency for fear of splitting the vote. They actually fought the election together with the agreed candidate for the Presidential elections to be Tswangirayi. Also you have your own way of referring to who you want to refer to. To me the MDC is the MDC. Are you saying Ncube was not part of the GNU?
Doctor
I can not refer you as Chiluba, when you are Doctor. That is my point; again there was, and maybe there still is ZANU and ZANU PF.
All I am doing is calling a spade a spade. In the 2013 elections, anyone who voted MDC, when in fact he meant to vote for MDC-T would have ensured victory for Welshman and his party. That is the official position.
This article is meaningless to me. What else should happen if one loses an election? Why would he stay if he lost?? Waste of time, fools in the MDC-T.
Jombo
No its very meaningfuol; and infact very inciteful, if you ask me. Its because, like Mugabe he is known to be a dictator who does not want to lose power. Hence the need to clarify what should under normal circumstances be the obvious. Even Mugabe said so, last year in July 2013 after he had already fixed the result!!
Jombo,
You been asleep all this time, man.
The election was rigged, ged it?!!
Which election and by who?
Forget the political parties. They cannot fix the mess we are in. Only civil society can do it. ZPF love the continued debate and discussion about this leader or that leader, this party or that party – precisely because it does nothing to bring about change.
Ngumbedo lo. He knows he has already strengthen his position within the party and will not lose. Why is he talking like gukurahundi Mugabe now?
Mugabe said the same things just before the July 2013 elections, knowing very well he had strengthen his chances through Nikuv. My God, MDC-T is really rotten to the core – virtually everything they say and do is a replica of what happens withing the gukurahundi party ZANU PF. MDC-T supporters; you are really not normal people to continue supporting sucha a leader. Zimbabwe is doomed for real.
How can someone say he will go after losing; yet his actions within the party tell a different story. The party president’s position and powers have recently been strengthened, and they are talking of reducing the power of the SG – this is not being done for any other reason other than strengthening the incumbent’s hand; and that person is Tswangirayi. MDC-T vs ZANU PF – two-sides of the same coin!!
P/S
Correction:
Strengthened; not strengthen!!
Jombo, you don’t cal people fools.Who told you that you are not a fool.This social platform needs no bullying.Give facts and then people will buy into your ideas.Hope you are fine
tino
Tswangirayi calls his opponeNts village politicians and regionalists. Is that issues-based politics, or “facts” as you call them? Start from there, if you are conerned with FACTS,because political leaders have a lot of influence in the minds of the public interms of their attitudes and the language they use against opponents!!
Are pained that he said he would leave his post if defeated at the congress.If then what do you want him to do. Some of these statements have no tails nor heads.
Would be in my opinion refreshing to have a new person at the helm of this Party. Tsvangirai has done his bit, he has become complascent and lost vision and petty. These mud-slinging matches with RGM and Biti are idiotic and costly as far as political milage is concerned. He should put personal ambition behind national/Party interests. Question is does he have the selflessness to do that? If he can’t show that selflessness now then I hope MDC-T loses the next election because clearly he will turn out to be another “Handiende Bob”. Once bitten twice shy.
The Standard is set. Vote me out at the next congress or ask me to carry on. The Standard was being unset by an internal coup by power hungry individuals. Suddenly they find they are not so Powerful after all. What ever caused them to do what they done had it been successful what would stop a knee jerk reaction from others had they assumed power.Then all of a sudden it becomes the norm. Just make your own meetings and get rid of them. Next thing we are seeing coups in Government.All they had to do was wait a few months. It’s not like there had been any love lost between Tendayi and Morgan.
Thanks guys, at least we are no longer bullying each other online.Lets educate each other, facts, no emotions.That way we can effect change.To some who still want to clinch fists on social media, please redeem yourselves
Tino I have seen the people that frequent this forum grow and I have said it. I think I have grown here too. This proves that if the populace was not muzzled the country would grow Politically. We just had the wrong roll of the dice in 1980. We have to keep this going. Be rest assured there are people that read that are Politicians. Some are just ordinary people that are just hungry for the truth.
No better cup of tea,than one with Mugabe.Tsvangi misses tea.
Could be true but still a cheap shot.
Man has had more things weighing on his mind than a cup of tea with the destroyer of our once vibrant country.