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Speaking at a policy dialogue organised by Southern Africa Political and Economic Series (SAPES) last week, Dr Mandaza said the MDC-T had demonstrated that it was unreliable, adding that even if President Mugabe exited the political scene, it would not provide a suitable person to govern the country.

“The MDC has lost its leverage and it is now compromised because they are now in the Government where they are finding it difficult to blame anyone for the failures of a Government they are part of,” he said.
He said the MDC-T was now compromised because it was difficult to be in Government and be an opposition party at the same time.

Dr Mandaza said the MDC-T was in trouble ahead of the impending elections because it was “fractious and disorganised”.
He said Britain and the West now seemed to prefer a reformed Zanu-PF  after realising that the MDC-T was not a viable option.

Another analyst, Graciano Mkodzongi, said the MDC-T had no solutions to the problems affecting the country, adding: “They do not have any strategy and there is a leadership deficiency in the party.
“What they say is now a tired story. It is not a secret that they do not have a localised appeal and the West is now prepared to work with a reformed Zanu-PF. They (West) see this as a better option.”
Mr Mkodzongi said MDC-T had lost credibility and now had a mountain to climb ahead of the polls.
Mr Mkodzongi said Prime Minister Tsvangirai’s dealings with the West had yielded nothing, adding that the former trade unionist had blundered by seeking to boost his international appeal at the expense of domestic popularity.

Contributing to the debate, Zanu-PF Politburo member and legislator Professor Jonathan Moyo said the liberation movement was there to stay, adding that everyone was Zanu-PF at heart although some wanted to portray a different picture.  He said Zanu-PF, as a social movement, was not fallible  but was ready to engage and to be inclusive.
“It’s not possible for any social movement to be purely a story of success. It would not be normal.
“You can’t be engaged with the public for 30 years without making mistakes,” he said.

On the alleged militarisation of State institutions, Prof Moyo said the world over, securocrats could be assigned to serve the state in various capacities if they had the required skills.
Many American generals, for example, were responsible for shaping that country’s policies.
Prof Moyo said Zanu-PF was being sabotaged by some elements in the civil service who were not implementing its good policies because of political motives.
“We usually come up with good formulation but bad implementation. There is full-blown sabotage by the civil service,” he said.

He said there was no businessman worth his name who was not a product of Zanu-PF policies.
“Everyone benefited directly or indirectly from the party’s policies.”
Prof Moyo said Zanu-PF must be credited for surviving the sanctions, saying the Western-sponsored onslaught would have brought down any other government.
“Any other country would have been blown out. There is no party which has survived such an onslaught elsewhere in the world,” he said.

He added that it was not fair to say that his party survived because of violence.
“We are an institution and any party which used violence against its people did not survive,” he said, calling for the dissolution of the inclusive Government.
“We cannot extend the GPA. What can change in six months that has failed to change in 24 months?
“The inclusive Government is unworkable and dysfunctional and we are tired of it,” he said.

He said there is no doubt that his party would form the next Government.
“Believe you me, we will win the next elections. We will not get less than 106 seats in Parliament and this business of having a dysfunctional government will be history,” he said.
Opposition politician and former legislator Mrs Margaret Dongo said: “The MDC-T can’t prove to the public that they can deliver.
“They joined a Government which was broke, yet they moved around saying they had the keys to unlock the economy. The MDC-T promised so much and did little and their Western partners did little to help their cause.”-The Sunday Mail