Mwonzora suffers Matabeleland blow
MDC Alliance says leaders of the rival MDC-T in Matabeleland South are tracing their footsteps back to the party after initially joining the Douglas Mwonzora-led outfit.
Former MDC Alliance Matabeleland South chairperson Watchy Sibanda, who had defected to the MDC-T then led by Thokozani Khupe, was re-admitted into the Nelson Chamisa party last week.
Sibanda resigned from the Mwonzoraled party.
At a meeting held in Gwanda, the Matabeleland South MDC Alliance provincial executive also welcomed back about 450 members, who had followed Sibanda to MDC-T.
Ntando Ndlela, MDC Alliance Matabeleland South spokesperson, told The
Standard that Sibanda had brought with him the whole district leadership of MDC-T in Matobo North.
"Edmore Nkomo, a former leader of our party, who went with Khupe, has come back and almost all of those who went away with him in Insiza district are back.
“The Chamisa-led party is growing big here and we are so excited.”
Another bigwig who had gone with Khupe, Mbiyezwe Nare, has also rejoined MDC Alliance in Gwanda district, Ndlela said.
“We welcome home all these comrades. MDC Alliance is home for all who seriously want a better Zimbabwe,” he added.
“We are getting ready to take over power from the failed government of Zanu PF.”
He claimed that people in Matabeleland were “fast seeing that Mwonzora and Khupe are a Zanu PF project”.
Ndlela challenged Mwonzora to try and have a meeting or mini rally in Matabeleland if he wanted to see that he has no followers in the region. “People want change here,” he said. “They want closure to the unresolved Gukurahundi conflict and cannot stomach all those who support perpetrators of the genocide,” he said.
“The people are clear the best foot forward in that regard is president Chamisa.”
Mwonzora left the MDC Alliance last year after the Supreme Court ruled that Chamisa’s succession of MDC founder Morgan Tsvangirai was illegal.
The Manicaland senator beat Khupe for the presidency of the party at an extraordinary congress in December last year.