Lloyd Gumbo Herald Reporter
TENSION is set to heighten in the MDC party with factions led by Professors Welshman Ncube and Arthur Mutambara claiming ownership of parliamentarians who were elected on the party ticket.

The two are already immersed in an acrimonious legal wrangle over control of the party with Prof Ncube seeking to replace Prof Mutambara as the Deputy Prime Minister in the inclusive Government on the strength of his election as party president at a congress held in Harare early this year.
Prof Mutambara, who disputes the congress, said he will be announcing his national executive council this week where names of legislators who are in the Prof Ncube faction's national executive council and the national council will be included.

The faction's chairman, Mr Joubert Mudzumwe, said all the MPs who were elected under the MDC ticket during the harmonised elections in 2008 were loyal to Prof Mutambara.
However, Mr Edwin Mushoriwa, who is vice president in Prof Ncube's faction, dismissed the claims saying the legislators were loyal to Prof Ncube.

Said Mr Mudzumwe: "At the moment three House of Assembly Members out of seven and four senators out of six have confirmed that they are with us. The others are not yet clear of where they are but we suspect they will be coming out in the open very soon.

"Welshman and Priscilla Misihairabwi Mushonga have no people and they just want to protect their ministerial positions."
Mr Mudzumwe said the nominations for NEC members had already been done and handed over to him to consult with the 38 nominated members.

He said the names would be announced after the NEC meeting to be held sometime this week.
Mr Mushoriwa said it was irregular that the Prof Mutambara faction would come up with an NEC without holding a congress.

"It is common knowledge that there are three parties in Zimbabwe led by President Mugabe (Zanu-PF), Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai (MDC-T) and Professor Welshman Ncube (MDC)," he said.
"They cannot claim to own our MPs because in areas where we have parliamentary seats, our structures are behind our leadership. If they were a party, they should address rallies so that we can see if they have people.

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"We know people can hallucinate and dream and they are probably saying they have MPs because of MP Nomalanga Khumalo (Umzingwane) whom we know she has been siding with the MDC-T."
Mrs Khumalo publicly expressed her allegiance to Prof Mutambara after Prof Ncube's faction accused her of working with the MDC-T.

In separate interviews last week, some of the MPs from the two factions said they respected the leadership that was elected at the congress held early this year.
The Mutambara faction boycotted the congress except Prof Mutambara.

"There was a congress in January and I follow the decisions of that congress because it has a lawful structure," said Khumalo Senator, David Coltart.
Tsholotsho Senator Believe Gaule said: "The party had a congress early this year and we respect the congress that chose the leadership that we have."

Insiza South House of Assembly Member Siyabonga Ncube refused to disclose where his allegiance was.
Bulawayo High Court judge, Justice Lawrence Kamocha last week reserved judgment in the case in which Prof Ncube's faction is seeking confirmation of a provisional order barring Prof Mutambara from presenting himself as president of MDC.

The applicants sought an amendment barring Prof Mutambara from continuing as a Global Political Agreement principal.
Justice Kamocha deferred the ruling saying he needed time to consider issues raised by both the applicants and the respondents counsel.

Prof Mutambara is opposing the granting of the final order.
The postponement means that the provisional order granted by Bulawayo senior High Court judge Justice Nicholas Ndou on 16 February this year, barring Prof Mutambara from exercising any function

vested in the president of MDC, remains in force.