Sporadic clashes in Zimbabwe’s main opposition party

THERE has been limited, largely minor, sporadic intra-party political violence since Zimbabwe’s elections were proclaimed and one case has now landed up in court.

But the clash was not as in previous elections between the ruling Zanu-PF and its opponent, the Movement for Democratic Change, which morphed into the MDC Alliance. This episode was between two factions of the MDC.

Asifa Mutsinga, 42, was not asked to plead last week when he appeared before magistrate Josephine Sande in the Harare Magistrate’s Court, and was released on R700 bail and remanded to August 9. Mutsinga is a member of the main MDC, which was loyal to the late president Morgan Tsvangirai, who chose Nelson Chamisa to succeed him before he died.

Chamisa, 40, is standing in the presidential election for a group of opposition parties, which formed an anti Zanu-PF front known as the MDC Alliance.

But there is another MDC, which refused to join the MDC Alliance, led by a veteran Bulawayo party leader, Thokozani Khupe, who was vice-president of the party before Tsvangirai died.

But she and Tsvangirai had fallen out long before he became ill with colon cancer.

The state said that on June 30, Mutsinga confronted the complainant, who has not yet been identified by the court, and asked him why he was no longer attending meetings addressed by Chamisa.

The state said that Mutsinga and colleagues harassed the complainant and later went to his home and chanted slogans outside his house and caused about R1 400 damage to his residence.

This was not the first intra-MDC violence.

Khupe and MDC secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora, who has remained with the MDC Alliance, were attacked at Tsvangirai’s burial at his rural home in south-eastern Zimbabwe.

There was subsequent low-level violence between the two MDC groups at its offices in Bulawayo.

The Khupe matter and the split vote infuriates many in the main MDC, now the MDC Alliance.

Analysts say Khupe’s small, largely regional support base will split the anti-Zanu-PF vote.

Zimbabwe will hold presidential, parliamentary and local government elections on July 30.

Independent Foreign Service

Picture: EPA-EFE CONFLICT: Supporters of the Movement For Democratic Change (MDC) Alliance party cheer as they attend a campaign rally. General elections are scheduled to be held on July 30.