MDC-T Vice President Thokozani Khupe
It is not possible to say who is responsible for the attack without an investigation, but my gut instinct points a finger at Zanu PF, whether by infiltration or direct involvement. Zanu PF are obviously very uncomfortable with any development that works against its imposition of itself on the people of Zimbabwe and will devise new dirty tricks to destroy the opposition.
The meeting that was to take place, according to media reports, was meant to be a feedback on the coalition agreement and way forward. It therefore was a formal meeting which no one in the party should have been in a position to disrupt, because it is important to plan ahead, especially as the public rally at the Zimbabwe Grounds confirmed there were things that had to be finalised before the alliance becomes operational. If what the media reports that the organisers of the meeting invited the MDC-T national and provincial executive leadership from the three Matebeleland provinces that have anchored the MDC-T’s support base since formation, then I don’t see any reason why anyone from the MDC-T would condemn such a meeting. Consultation with various party structures is necessary before the alliance is operationalised, and the sooner consultations happened, the better.
Maybe it could be a few misguided elements within the party who caused this unfortunate incident. The party must then deal with the culprits if that is the case. If they are identified from the video footage as MDC-T supporters, it is a great opportunity for Morgan Tsvangirai to prove that he is unlike Mugabe who speaks against violence, but allows identified perpetrators of violence to roam the streets free. People shown on video assaulting opposition supporters forcing them to chant slogans rallying behind Grace Mugabe have not been arrested despite confessing they assaulted Tajamuka activists. Tsvangirai has expelled some youths from the party for causing violence before, and the world awaits to see how he will respond to this latest incident if the attackers are identified as MDC-T members.
I absolve Morgan Tsvangirai from any involvement in this hideous act and I am confident he will deal with it satisfactorily if the people involved are positively identified as party activists. The Morgan Tsvangirai that I know of is not capable of sanctioning this kind of behaviour, and if there are any loyalists sponsoring this kind of behaviour, they must e flashed out. Zimbabweans do not want people who are so intolerant.