In Zimbabwe, Zapu under the leadership of Joshua Nkomo, although it had problems penetrating the Mashonaland provinces, was the main opposition at Independence in 1980 as Bishop Abel Muzorewa’s United African National Council sank into oblivion. After the unity accord which united the ruling Zanu (PF) and the opposition Zapu, it took the formation of the MDC to present a credible opposition.
The MDC took Zanu (PF) by surprised. It’s performance in the 2000 elections even surprised its own supporters – this I know because I was one of the MDC supporters then, and I did not expect the party to get more than one third of the parliamentary seats in that election.
Ncube involved
Many doubted the party would survive after 2005. If fact, some armchair critics were fooled by the number of MPs who sided with Welshman Ncube after the split and wrote obituaries for Morgan Tsvangirai and the group that went with him. The 2008 elections proved the tried and tested fact that there can only be one major opposition party in a country.
The 2013 elections were the last nail in the coffin of the Ncube led MDC. Unless a miracle happens, that party is doomed.
The most recent split of the MDC-T came as no surprise. Supporters and officials of Ncube’s party predicted it, they wrote about the split on social media before the 2013 election. Given the reported attendance at the Biti MDC faction council meeting of Michael Mukashi and other Ncube officials, one cannot rule out the involvement of that party in the split.
Ncube may not be privy to some of the finer details, but it is clear that his party is involved as it seeks partners to raise itself from the political dustbin.
There is no need for concerned Zimbabweans, who genuinely need a strong opposition to Mugabe, to try and force unity among people who have shown so much distrust among each other. Let them split, and a stronger party will emerge and, with careful planning, topple Zanu (PF) in 2018.
This in-fighting was already in full swing during the run-up to the 2013 election. There was a struggle between Biti and Chamisa, and to think that the two can work together again harmoniously is wishful thinking. They are better off representing their respective parties in a grand coalition, if that is ever to be achieved.
A split now is good because the resultant parties will introspect between now and 2017, and if they have realised they need each other, they can always come back to talk to each other to develop a common strategy to topple Mugabe. – Hopeful Pragmatist, Buhera
Post published in: Letters to the Editor