The Honourable The Deputy President of MDC-T, Madam Thokozani Khupe, will not be attending the Bulawayo MDC Alliance Rally for the same reasons that she did not attend the last MDC-T National Executive Committee Meeting. I can assuredly say that the national chairman as well as the national organizing secretary will also not be attending this rally on the same grounds. It is the collective view of these leaders that the MDC Alliance is misdirecting itself by focusing at a rally as a way of window dressing or pushing off the table the substantive issues that were raised in the letter that was written to the MDC-T president for and on behalf of many members within the MDC-T. A good membership within the MDC-T asked these three leaders to raise their concerns on the seeming appearance of unilateralism in our decision making processes particularly in relation to the execution of the alliance partnering resolutions.
As people in Matebeleland are continuing to strongly condemn the importation of violence from Harvest House Harare to their doorsteps in Gukurahundi fashion, it is very unfortunate that some within the party have chosen to deliberately interpret Deputy President Khupe’s principled stance on such a fundamental policy and strategic issue as a fight against the President of the MDC-T party.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
As one of the very senior members of the MDC-T party and longest saving Deputy President (11 years), Honourable Khupe has a duty to ensure that the party constitution is upheld and fully applicable in all resolutions and activities in the party. It is therefore being noted with concern that some have resorted to “Command Organising” for the MDC Alliance rally by threatening MPs, Ward Councillors and Ward chairpersons with unspecified action should they fail to fill up White City Stadium tomorrow. The only comradely warning offered to such uncharacteristic actions against the grain of democracy in the party will be that the people of Zimbabwe will be the final judges against such hypocritical tactics at ensuring self preservation against the wishes of the people, more so the people of Matebeleland whose resilient spirits have an enduring history beginning with the colonists right through Gukurahundi.
For the avoidance of any doubt, the said three leaders who wrote a letter to the MDC-T President will, for all intents and purposes, not attend any official meetings of the MDC Alliance until President Tsvangirai convenes a meeting with the three to attend to the sustantive issues they raised. Such a meeting will desirably have to be a daylight clear away from the MDC Bulawayo Alliance Rally as it will not be about this rally and its attendant business of the day as currently set out.
Witness Dube
Personal Assistant to The Honourable The Deputy President of MDC-T, Thokozani KHUPE.
