via Renewal team downplays huge attendances at Tsvangirai rallies | SW Radio Africa by Tichaona Sibanda on Tuesday, May 13, 2014
The MDC-T faction calling itself the renewal team has said it is not concerned with the huge attendances of people at rallies addresssed by Morgan Tsvangirai, dismissing them as ‘rallies to nowhere.’
Jacob Mafume, spokesman for the Tendai Biti led faction described the gatherings as ‘rally tourism’ where people attend for praise and worship sessions.
The lawyer/politician told SW Radio Africa’s weekly Speak Out Padare program on Tuesday that numbers ‘don’t matter’, but what is important is offering solutions to the Zimbabwe crisis.
Mafume said even with the small number of MPs they have on their side, the renewal team will be able to contribute meaningful debate in Parliament. Since the split in the MDC-T in April, nine MPs joined the Biti faction while the Tsvangirai camp still has support from 82 legislators.
The MDC-T leader has in the past few weeks held several rallies that have seen thousands of party supporters attending each of them, compared to those addressed by the Biti camp.
“These rallies will not achieve (anything). They are rallies to nowhere and its not a cause for concern to us. Rally tourism will not achieve much, the country needs a sober approach to deal with the politics of today,” Mafume said.
He added: “In 2013, we held over a hundred with our President (Tsvangirai), compared to the ten held by President Robert Mugabe. And where are we now…we are just a ceremonial opposition.”
Mafume said the myth that rallies will produce a new Zimbabwe has been debunked over time, insisting that the more people indulge on the subject, the more they will get lost.
However MDC-T spokesman Douglas Mwonzora, came out all guns blazing in response to Mafume’s comments on their rallies. He said Mafume was prone to criticizing everything for every reason.
“The fact that people are thronging to our rallies means the message is resonating with our grassroots. We are holding these rallies to cement with the grassroots and to connect with the same people…it is very important to do this because they’re the same people we represent at the MDC-T,” said Mwonzora
He took a dig at the renewal’s team’s failure to attract crowds at their rallies, emphasizing that they will always struggle to do as they are ‘elitist’ and have no appeal to the masses.
“The so-called renewal team held a rally of 52 people in Manicaland recently. Of these 52, twelve were drivers who had come with Tendai Biti’s entourage, leaving 40 people. Of those 40, about 10 were members of the security and of the remaining 30, 17 were people who had travelled with Biti from Harare. This leaves 13 locals who attended the meeting,” explained Mwonzora.
COMMENTS
zimbweans should unite to bring prosperity back. the mdc are doing everyone a diservice by splitting . put your small dufferences aside and. put your energy into fighting the real eneny
They do not give a STUFF about the ordinary people – only there for themselves. find people who can do the job
——-My head is still spinning. After the 2013 defeat he kept coming up with gem after gem of pure writing. His writings of Zanu’s governance or lack of it. After such a sucker punch from Zanu he raised hope again and we started feeling refreshed again. He had to build such a climax before he dropped the bombshell. Maybe he wanted to soften us first but why announce or accept that his law firm was representing Gono in whatever dispute the men in Zanu were at each other’s throats for? Hey, it is a ‘free country’ but I always thought there are certain lines which are hard to cross whatever cheque is laid in front of honourable members. Then suddenly he awoke to find that he has, for the last 15 years, he has been working with ‘fascists’ and Tsvangirai the dim wit, no military credentials has been leading the party in the wrong direction. At one point he let slip and declared the elections were not rigged and when the masses raised eye brows he retreated and said he was misquoted. More was to come. He kept denying he had anything to do with the renewal group and each time the whole national executive sat to discuss matters of the party he would give an excuse and leave before a vote was taken. Is it pushing to compare this behaviour to Judas’ before the great betrayal of all time? A few days after ‘expelling’ the top 8 or so he declared he represented the true MDC. A few days later still, he stated that in due course they were going to form another party. And the ’true’ MDC? Ditched within hours without consulting the ever suffering supporters! Confused.com? I am. Wananchi you let us down big time! Bless.
Simon M Tozvireva.
To this day, I still can’t get it. How does Biti represent Gono when he gets called upon to answer for his stilling at the reserve bank? Biti himself was one of the most vocal about diamonds revenue etc. Now he wants to defend the thief? The mind boggles!!!! SELLOUT No. 1. ‘Renewal’ nonsense – more Reversal Team Leadrer.
R they going to fight until 2018?
If they foolishly take their dispute to court the Zanu pf judges will make sure that they keep fighting tilll 2018 or even after
Repeating the same thing over and over again will not get you a different result. MT has had three elections and have failed to get into state house and by remaining party leader , MDC is repeating over and over again the failed formula which will not get a different result. Renewal team ndizvo.
How about doing it properly by waiting for congress? This is not dignified at all, they come across as power hungry.
Did you, by any chance, read blackhammer’s post?
Okay, so three strategies have failed to dislodge ZANU.
How about advocating for a new direction within the confines of a united front?
What will the renewal team do which they have not done under the leadership of Tsvangirai to win and get into state house with the blessings of Zanu Pf and the military? How are they going to beat the rigging system presided over by Mudede and Nikuv?
Was the so-called renewal team not part of Team Tsvangirai all along? What were they doing in the MDC along? While others were genuinely working and campaigning to bring enduring change to Zimbabwe, they were busy undermining these efforts and selling out the struggle the highest bidder. The MDC is truly better off without these wicked backstabbers. The people are not blind – there is always payback time.
Even in GNU you were a ceremonial opposition. You had the power to enforce and insist upon changes in the way the elections are conducted but instead condoned being herded into the abattoir.
Silly people whom the public are actually laughing at and have already dismissed as irrelevant.
I think there is too much noise about “the split” in MDC T. From my opinion this is not a “split” as some call it. It is merely the going away of BITI and his handful of elites, who are not of importance to the party, 9 people. Lets just assume that some 9 party members with evil spirits died, and ignore their noise as of people who died of ngozi. The publicity embellishes the ‘so called split’. If Mbeki could say “Crisis? What crisis in Zimbabwe’ after thousands died of cholera, then we can say “split? What split?” when Biti and his elite gang ‘died’ a natural death. Natural attrition or superannuation. This is the way life happens. Biti is a “ZIMASSET”. ZIMASSET, ZIMASSET….ikikikkikii. ZIMASSET! Biti is part of that Zimasset project.
Rallies for MDC always attracted huge crowds but no election victories. MDC Renewal is young, with direction and time I sure it will attract similar crowds.
life is tough mr mufume.these rallies give us hope after those elections that shocked us.for the ruling party to respect us they need to see these rallies with many people to know that people are serious about change.people are suffering we cant pay school fees, rentals, new clothes we are buying mazitye, in our informal businesses people are not buying, we are losing property everyday, something we worked for for a very long time. The opposition can not solve this in a boardroom, they need to guide the masses by holding rallies.what else can you do to a government in charge of military and police.show them that you have people on your side and they will listen to you.By criticizing rallies done by mr Tsvangirai you are saying the masses that go to those rallies are stupid and do not know what they are doing which is a big mistake you going to regret in your political career.i respect your confidence and self esteem but sit down and think before you alienate yourself from the people.
Loveness
How many rallies have you held since 1999? With all those huge numbers did you get the respect you are dying for from the gukurahubndis? Instead, what you got was the bashing of Tsvangirayi’s head; numerous arrests, I cant even count them; abductions; beatings and killings?
Lingabosihlanyela la – tsamaya!!
Don’t forget the murder of his wife
and his attempted murder!
All these Biti elite insult the man
but never get ‘into the trenches’.
May I make a very simple suggestion? As ALL opposition parties need to come together for the good of ALL of this nation. In a grand coalition including MT do a simple referendum ward by ward country wide to choose a leader for the ‘grand coalition,’ and go with the peoples choice with the team behind the leader coming from each and every party with the leader and top 6, 8 0r 10 or whatever being accountable to each other and to the people. is this too simplistic? Is this too much to ask? After our first true free and fair election then parties can campaign for their individual parties thereafter. Common guys. Let us wake up!
Tsvangirayi is not intelligent enough to defeat ZANU. He has shown us how greedy and foolish he was during the GNU to trust Mugabe and then was sideswiped by the election rigging. He is too busy looking for new women. We cannot be led by such a charachter.
So who is intelligent enough???
Such public display of daftness! Its not about Morgan Tsvangirai as a person but as a representative of the political struggle of the downtrodden people of Zimbabwe. Morgan Tsvangirai is not campaigning to be a priest or some such cleric who has taken chastity vows! He is a normal person with normal desires and mistakes! I have not heard about rape charges against him but relationships with consenting adults! You need to understand that when elections are rigged it is the PEOPLE OF ZIMBABWE who are prejudiced not just Tsvangirai! What are the intelligent ones like you done to advance the freedom and prosperity of the people? Intelligence, my foot!
@Kunyarara
Wena Kunyarara, Kitchen Cabinets and violence against those who differ with you are not mistakes, uyezwa? Changing the party constitution to extend your stay at the helm is certainly not a mistake as well. Get over with your hero-worshipping disease; you sound like an intelligent and reasonably educated individaul. So please act and reason like one!!
Straight Shooter, Tendai Biti was the custodian of the party constitution and you are telling us he agreed for Morgan to change the constitution. Each leader anywhere in the world has some trusted people in his party though in MDC they want to call them kitchen cabinet. Even to those who work you know the CEO may trust the sweeper than his line managers, or even his driver. That is very normal.Imagine if Tsvangirayi had put all his trust in Tendai Biti who sit in the corner there and agree that mangoma must be suspended then suddenly rushes to a brothel to call a press conference denouncing a decision made with him in attendance without even raising an objection.
Well said K!
Avo varikuti tsvangirai akaruza katatu saka akundikana zvisinei kuti maelections ese airigwa saka renewal team ndizvo vanoreva here kuti come 2018 this renual team is guaranteed to win zvisinei nekurigwa? Zanupf yakavavimbisasu kuti kana vave ivo vavekurana mdct military ne all state apparetus nezec zvinenge zvisisasapoti zanupf? Nokuti kana zvisina kudaro pane mikana yekuti vachangoruzawo nenzira imwecheteyo. Maonero angu machances avo ekuruza akawanda kupfuura atsvangirai given kuti ivo havana vanhu zvekare havaoni kukosha kweuwandu hwevanhu according to their spokesman mafume. Vanongove nemaaidhiyasi akanaka avasingaburisi kuti ndeeyi. Muvhunzo ndowokuti kana vazoruzawo katatu pozoitwazve imwe renewal team here? Unobva washaya kuti zvinombofambasei?
Doc Mafume, no.. Mr Mafume.. Lawyer Mafume…thanks for also closely following rallies of your past.We are eagerly awaiting such following at your events. Don’t worry about what happens next door unless you have your own unreserved interests. Itsitsi dzeyi tsvimborume kubvisa mwana wemvana madzihwa.Kwawabva kanda chibwe kwaunoenda usiku.
Rally tourism will not achieve much, the country needs a sober approach to deal with the politics of today,saka dzungu renyu iri ndiyo sober approach manje kkkkkkkkk,matadza nekumirira Congress,hanzi Mafume said even with the small number of MPs they have on their side, the renewal team will be able to contribute meaningful debate in Parliament,unobva watoshaya kuti arikuda kumboreveyi,nguva yese iyi vairambidzwa naMT here kuzviita
Mwonzora, please give us a break. Quite honestly, Mafume is telling the absolute truth.
In the present Zimbabwe under the gukurahundi ZANU PF government; rallies mean nothing. The numbers making noise at your so-called rallies mean nothing. If they did, you would have been in power to day.
Zimbabwe is not South Africa – election outcomes are predetermined. So stop wasting our time with your “throngs” at your rallies. Establishing oneself in Zim politics is a long haul – it doesnt mean the message of the new comers is wrong.
Zimbabweans are by nature a people driven by loyalty and hype – this takes time to build for any new political party. You can have all the numbers you want. It doesnt mean you are right – you still remain wrong and a dictator. Unfortunately, Zimbabweans always discover this too late – thats just the way they are!!
Vana tembani naana johnny k. Do you reckon Biti cannot even win the Mdc t presidency. What more of national elections. Dont you think just the idea, is moronic. I can assure you these guys have lost it and for your own info in a true democracy numbers mean everything.
Che’guevara
So you reckon Zim is a democracy? If so why is Tsvangirayi not the president namhlanje, since he has always held huge rallies?
Instead of him wasting time holding useless rallies which will not help solve the Zim political crisis; he should actually be sitting down with his opponents to craft a broad alliance in unity of purpose.
Instead of being stubborn, as a result of getting excited with these so-called rally numbers; Tsvangirayi should listen to the concerns raised by his opponents and address them. Where his group has concerns about their rivals, they should also raise them and let the rivals address them.This is the only way forward in getting rid of ZANU PF.
To merely show off with numbers will not get him anyway. He thought he could succeed through these tactics, when he ignored Welshman during the GNU in preference for Mugabe and Mtambara – where is he now? Did he succeed?
I am surprised he never learns; he is repeating the same modus operandi, but still expects different results – come 2018. What a fool!!
This Jacob Mafume talks exactly like Psychology Mazivisa. Did they go to same college of propaganda. You guys ran away for fear of being bitten at congress election and now you feel it will save you your stupid faces to try and embarrass the MDC-T. Go on you surely give up some time. Don’t waste your time Jacob, your political carrier is over if ever there was one – we know your kind, you are looking for money somewhere. May be zanu pf will give you – they have plenty of it from corruption and Mbada diamonds. Elections were rigged Jacob and stop blaming MT – he is bigger than that and you will never match his character and his contribution in improving the political landscape in Zimbabwe, almost single-handedly. I was there at the formation of the MDC. All those people who havew gone – from Welishman Ncube to Biti – we didn’t want them. We complained when Ncube was busy with Jonathan Moyo at constitutional teaching gatherings and Tswangirai wanted him to join the MDC. We knew what kind he was and we know your kind too – young man don’t full the world you are not a politician but an opportunist. The kind that can be used for financial gain.
What bothers me, if Biti sold out to Zanu a long time ago #Gono’slawyer and he so happened to be one of Tsvangirayi’s advisors and one of the MDC representatives to the zanu/mdc negotiations. How long has he been misinforming tsvangirayi. Ndatoshaya zvafambawo sei…and Tsvangirai why did you have a loose end around….
Mafume ndiye Jonathan moyo waBiti. No support from the people kwakuda kuita propaganda to discourage masses. You shot your self on your feet and you will go in fools’ paradise. Your analysis is paralysed.
Upon reading this article I picked something that confused me, I cot, in 2013 we held hundreds of rallies with our (President Tsvangirai )compared to ten held buy President Robert Mugabe, and where are we now…we are just a ceremonial opposition,, uncot ,is this from Mafume himself ?Is Tsvangirai now his President, somebody is playing with our minds here.
When will people wake up, MDC ndeye ZANU. And I mean all the Mdcs.Tsvangirai is a ZANU stooge. You follow him at your on peril. He is leading you nowhere fast. 4 years in the Gnu,and he never won not even one single argument for reform.
Even now he will not talk about out standing issues. Remember the MDC bailing out Mliswa and leaving their on cadres rotting in jail. These chaps are ZANU through and through.ZANU are not scared of Tsvangirai, because he is compromised. These chaps have been given a chance to taste the loot,to hell with the povo.Just take them around for a jol. Tea with Bob,what do you think was coming out of it? They were bought.
They are now seating in that parliament giving credibility to ZANU.
If the elections were rigged why are you legalizing them ?Its for the love of money and to hell with the povo. Just leave that house so ZANU can mess up on its own. They don’t need your help.
Chamisa be the first one to walk out. Traitors.
You are playing the ZANU game with us .ZANU had numbers, see what the numbers have done to the country. Tsvangirai has numbers ,do you really need other idiot to control us. People are so desperate for salvation from Mugabe’s tyranny they are bound to support any brave fool.
And we do have alternatives.
There is lots of Zimbos all over who are well respected brands on their on. For good reasons as well ,not for terrorising or womanising.
To tell you thee truth, I would be happy to contract the running of the country to Angela Merkel or Obama or Gordon Brown and pay them Norbert’s salary. And have a steering committee of Zimbos around them.
The lot of political leaders is useless,they behave like monkeys on a banana parade.
That’s my take.
Stop wasting our time with your useless rallies. This no time for rallies – there are no elections anytime soon. Its time for strategising.
Have you seen gukurahundi ZANU PF holding rallies anywhere around the country? Do you think they are fools?? They had a Prolitiburo meeting on Monday; this is how its done; not through rallies.
So just keep on worshipping your ZPF and its politburo and stop your tribalistic fulminations if you cannot understand the value of continued engagement with the people and the value of demonstrating to those who steal elections that they are are usurping the will of the thousands who flock to the rallies and that they are ruling the country illegitimately!
@Kunyararakutawurawani
My man, this is not about worshipping gukurahundi ZANU PF. Its an advice on how to win elections, in a ZANU PF dominated controlled political environment.
In such an environment, nothing beats strategic thinking and planning. Your Tsvangirayi does not understand this. He thinks rallies alone are what will make him win against ZANU PF – far from it.
Engaging masses is necessary – but it should never be for show. In an environment where elections are not imminent, they are a waste of time. The urgency of now is about long term strategies, and this is done through meetings and strategy sessions away from the prying eyes of the enemy.
This is why I am saying, Tsvangirayi should engage his opponents and together let them plan long term for the 2018 elections. Identify, the core in ZANU PF; what their thinking is like in view of the succession battles. Who in the CIO is strategic; what their plans are; who in the army needs to be watched; what their plans are etc, etc. Formulate the MDC’s response to these developments in ZANU PF and keep revisiting the responses and refining them as you get closer to the 2018 elections.
This what strategy is all about – keeping focused and knowing about the competition. You need to OUT-MUGABE, MUGABE. You dont do this through useless early rallies.
Infact, with these so-called mass rallies – he is actually warning ZANU PF and advising them that he still has support.
Armed with this information, all ZANU PF needs to do is to do is to strengthen the CIO and keep an eye on his movements; harass him and his supporters and re-organise the war vet camps.
They will never rest on their laurels because Tsvangirayi is foolish enough to show them as early as this, that he is still going strong!!!
The reason the Gukurahundi
don’t have to ‘hold rallies’
around the country is because
they have Nikuv, China-master,
Judges Police and Military in their pockets.
During the GNU Mugarbage used these
forces to derail everything MT and
the MDC tried to do – yet the GNU
still succeeded somewhat!
So they are downplaying the roll of masses handiti.
Yes you are right. At the present moment, 2014 those masses will not make a difference to Tswangirayi’s fortunes. Its just useless show off!!
@Strait shooter you hate Tsvangirai so Much.you think when Tsvangirai hold Rallies it ends there ,thats shallow thinking ,you see that the renewal Team cant Match Tsvangirai,you wanted him to stay Quiet so that your Biti gets Support while people thinking Tsvangirai is finished.He is still a force to reckon with Say yr rubbish Zim people Love him and still have a hope in him
I think it is time when people like mbiti and mafume should sit down and go back to where other are before they throw themselves in rubbish bins oblivion
“……..11 May 2014 HARARE – Seven renegade MDC MPs, who initially joined the Tendai Biti renewal camp, are on their way back to the main formation led by Morgan Tsvangirai after Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda indicated on Thursday he had no powers to save their jobs, the Daily News can reveal. The Daily New…”
You quite right Zindoga, this Straight Shooter hates Morgan with a passion.
Biti tried to hold rallies, very poorly attended by the way, narry a word from our Straight guy on the futility of such an exercise.
Now these MPs are deserting his favourite
That’s what has got our man, Mr Shooter, hot under the collar and he is thrashing his keyboard to bits!
If the crowd at Tsvangirai’s rallies are the same blank faces who were demonstrating at Harvest House in support on Tsvangirai then the numbers count for nothing. The same mob attended MDC rallies before the 2013 elections and by right MDC should have won they elections.
Tsvangirai has admitted Mugabe rigged the elections and yet it was him who insisted the new Copac constitution would deliver free and fair elections.
The party did not win the elections because Mugabe was able to rig the elections. If these MDC supporters had some functioning brain then they should have been asking their leaders what happened. They did not and never will.
It was Tsvangirai and MDC’s failure to implement the democratic reforms that al-lowed Mugabe to rig the elections. It was MDC leaders’ breath-taking incompetence that landed us back in this mess. Even with the benefit of hindsight these MDC supporters have still failed to see Tsvangirai for the blundering and indecisive leader he is.
If the nation is ever going to get out of this mess then we must have voters who are willing to think and not follow blindly like these MDC supporters! Nothing would please Mugabe and Zanu PF more than to see the Zimbabwean electorate remain the same millions of blank faces with no spackle of brain activity because the tyrant will know he can cheat them just as readily as before!
Those blank faces are the people who vote Mukori whether you like it or not and they were all created together with you in the image of the Most High God, it is you who see them lowly but they will be raised.
These blank faces have seen what a traitor Ncube is.
What a snake Biti has turned out to be.
Not sure what they are going to make of you Mr Mukori.
Some agent of some sort I would hazard.
If you were to put your blind hatred of all things Morgan aside, you would probably realise that the MDC and the whole opposition movement would benefit hugely from the input of fresh ideas from people like you.
Nah, maybe not.
The MDC will remain strong under Tsvangirai. Without the Zanu rigging, he would be President today. Fact.
Small opposition parties fight among themselves for power that they don’t even have. Unit and take the power from Zanu. Wise-up!!!!!
I think what we need from the press for the sake of all of us Zimbabweans is to disect these 2 factions. Tell us who held a properly convened meeting and who held a kangaroo meeting. Disect why the factions are resisting leadership change by congress opting suspensions and expulsions. The people need to know all these truths. Did Biti have the right mandate at Mandel and the right congregation, did Tsvangirayi have the correct mandate and the correct congregation. Once that comes clear we then choose our sides otherwise we are just following blindly. I my other post I begged if we Zimbabweans can forget about Morgan Tsvangirayi and Tendai Biti and start another project very soon which will contest the 2018 elections without these lunatics, none of them should be seen in our structures. The time is now that people of integrity should come together. I urge churches and other civic organisations not to be abused by these people who have destroyed all the hope of leadership change in Zimbabwe. Some say Morgan is refusing to go, yet we here he says let us use the correct way to remove me, a plausible argument indeed so what are others afraid of. If he is popular it is not his problem it is the problem of the people and if the people want him then the Bitis and Mangomas have a problem, if they don’t want him then he will be removed.
Tvsngiari has done a lot to change the political land scape of Zimbabwe of course assisted by others. As far as losing the elections is concerned, no one is to blame. Zanu PF used a very big machinery for this. The one that all forces of politics put together in Zimbabwe would not beat and more so, was not expecting. Watch soldiers giving political comments in public media denigrating the MDC-T and be the judge of what happened in the past elections. Biti and company know they cannot win an election in a congress so did Welishman. Did Biti and company convene a constitutional meeting, definitely NO – so they obviously have an agenda and they know they can never form a powerful group – they just there to disturb Tsvangirai and the other faithful ones. If they are not that – why not form their own party.
In South Africa the DA changed leadership from Tony Leon to Zille before taking over power nationally or even in W Cape…The idea being a democratic movement that claims to stand for leadership accountability and democratic principles needed to demonstrate its comitment even before taking power….MT has played his part-15 years at the helm let us show Zimbabweans kuti MDC is not also another party of handiende….MT step down and allow another leader to be chosen…If MT dies today MDC&democratic struggle should not die with him so if he retires it is not a disaster…There is a future beyond MT…Once we say MT ‘desrves’ to be in state house for his sacrifice it is the same as ZANU saying they deserve to rule no matter what bcoz they sacrificed in liberation struggle….MDC MUST show it is better than ZANU otherwise why support the same???
Political bickering again. The same thing that is finding Zimbabweans in the state they were and will remain there unless there is a better focus – that of not looking for positions but struggle until we win. Morgan did not make us lose the elections I think and I am surer I’m right – its these people advocating for his removal. The problem is you were not there at the formation of the movement – you give anyone that position and the movement automatically goes into extinction – mark my words. Who do you want to select as a leader – Tendai? Hahahaha! You people are never serious – this is the guy who is responsible for our loss. How did he win his constituency by the way? Find out – you will know the truth. Don’t play another Welishman Ncube politics here, NO, NOT AGAIN. Any where you will never find any support – just go and join Zanu PF – RIGHT?