Source: Dabengwa in demand – DailyNews Live
Mugove Tafirenyika 31 October 2017
HARARE – Opposition leaders seeking to challenge President Robert Mugabe
in next year’s crunch elections are falling over each other to partner
Zapu president Dumiso Dabengwa, pictured, it has emerged.
The Morgan Tsvangirai-led MDC Alliance is keen to bring on board Dabengwa,
a former Zipra intelligence supremo, into the opposition alliance.
Former Vice President Joice Mujuru and her People’s Rainbow Alliance is
also making efforts to rope in Dabengwa, who is a member of the Elton
Mangoma-led Coalition of Democrats (Code).
Zapu spokesperson Mjobisa Noko confirmed the development, saying Mujuru,
now opposition National People’s Party (NPP) leader, had offered Dabengwa
the chairperson post in the coalition she leads.
“It is very true that many leaders have approached the Zapu president to
join their outfits but Zapu has recommended that Dabengwa should neither
accept nor reject the offers because we want that to be done through
Code,” Noko said.
“The president has been offered by Mujuru to become the chairperson of her
coalition but that post has not been taken up.
“There has, however, not been formal engagements with the MDC Alliance
but on our part as Zapu, we have mandated Dabengwa to engage everyone on
the need for a grand coalition and I must also add that Code has also
given him that mandate.”
MDC Alliance spokesperson Welshman Ncube said while their coalition was
signed in the absence of Zapu, “after they initially appeared to be
unwilling,” negotiations to engage Dabengwa have been ongoing.
“At that time, it was unfortunate that the negotiations prior to the
signing of the Alliance did not bring positive results but because we have
always wanted to broaden the Alliance, our negotiators have continued to
engage all to explore the possibility of making it broader than it is
now,” Ncube said.
Nicknamed Black Russian during the liberation struggle, Dabengwa, is a
former Cabinet minister who quit Zanu PF ahead of the 2008 elections
frustrated by Mugabe’s refusal to retire.
Informed sources have also said a Zanu PF faction linked to Vice President
Emmerson Mnangagwa is also keen to
rope in Dabengwa, and the talks are reportedly being led by war veterans
leader Chris Mutsvangwa.
Sources said Mnangagwa – who notwithstanding that he is currently under
the cosh from a rival Generation 40 faction opposed to his alleged
ambitions to succeed Mugabe – has offered Dabengwa a leadership role in a
“new government”.
Mnangagwa has been accused by rivals in the ruling Zanu PF party of
plotting to oust Mugabe – a charge he denies.
A senior Zapu official told the Daily News that Mnangagwa last month
dispatched emissaries to engage Dabengwa.
“They told him that they want him to represent Matabeleland region as vice
president in the post-Mugabe era but the sticking point has been that
Dabengwa wants Mnangagwa to first recognise that the (1987) Unity Accord
between Zapu and Zanu is no more and that Zapu properties confiscated by
government should be returned,” said the source speaking on condition of
anonymity.
COMMENTS