According to MDC insiders, Sibanda, who lost the Nkulumame constituency House of Assembly seat to the main MDC’s national Youth Chairman Thamsqa Mhlangu, approached Mhlangu a week after the elections to persuade Tsvangirai to accept him back into the party and to appoint him as one of the five non-constituency senators, who are appointed at the president’s discretion.
Tsvangirai was said to have welcomed Sibanda’s wish to rejoin him, but promised to give an official response only after consulting other senior party members.
Tsvangirai and Sibanda worked together for several years as labour union activists and went on to form the MDC in 1998. They went their separate ways in October 2005 after disagreements about whether to participate in the senatorial elections in the same year.
Mhlangu declined to confirm or deny the claim. Sibanda was unreachable
A Bulawayo-based Gukurahundi pressure group, Ibetshu Likazulu, which had backed the MDC (Mutambara) rejoined the MDC last week.
Post published in: News