According to the latest cables released by whistle blowing website Wiki Leaks, Biti then the party’s Shadow Minister for Economics, on November 9 told a US Embassy mole code named poloff:
“The Ncube faction’s absence from the constitutional vote in parliament, its opposition to a popularly supported Senate election boycott, its “lies and manipulations” with South African President Mbeki, and its refusal to meet with Tsvangirai on key occasions, made me suspect that some or all of the faction must have made some accommodation with the ruling party that revolved around isolating Tsvangirai.”
“I have always been critical of Tsvangirai’s acting outside the constitution but I had come to recognise that “everybody” – especially Secretary-General Ncube – was ignoring the party constitution willy-nilly, so why should Tsvangirai be held to a higher standard?
“In spite of the real procedural grievances, the situation now required a political rather than a legalistic solution, and Tsvangirai held the commanding political position,” Biti said.
Information Minister Nelson Chamisa is said to have “essentially corroborated Biti’s account” to poloff. He said opening the party up to disruption and manipulation by Mugabe-controlled courts was political lunacy.
Chamisa added that Tsvangirai’s on-going rallies in Matabeleland then were appealing to the masses and further isolated the Ncube faction.
The US Embassy described Biti and Chamisa as among the few MDC luminaries and their lining up behind Tsvangirai dealt a significant blow to the Ncube faction.
Post published in: News