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Tendai Mugabe Senior Reporter
Former Vice President Dr Joice Mujuru and her National People’s Party leadership were yesterday summoned by MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai to his residence in Harare to sign a Memorandum of Understanding for a proposed coalition of opposition parties ahead of next year’s national elections. Dr Mujuru and her top brass comprising Ambassador John Mvundura and Mr Dzikamai Mavhaire in tow gladly obliged, effectively marking their absorption as a political outfit by MDC-T.

The MoU confirmed a long held view that the two were under pressure from their Western backers to form a coalition to enhance their power bid against President Mugabe. Dr Mujuru is also fighting for political relevance following her unceremonious expulsion from the Zimbabwe People First by its founding “elders” Messrs Didymus Mutasa and Rugare Gumbo recently.

She had to hastily form her own outfit, the NPP, to prove her worth, but the party is still yet to gain traction and establish substantive structures.

To confirm her underdog tag in the proposed coalition of opposition parties ahead of next year’s elections, Dr Mujuru and senior officials of her party wernt to Mr Tsvangirai’s residence to append their signatures to the MoU.

Last year, a Government source privy to the goings on in opposition circles said Dr Mujuru had become a political concubine of MDC-T after she was captured on camera with an open palm in the company of Mr Tsvangirai in Gweru.

Speaking to journalists after signing the MoU, Mr Tsvangirai said: “This is a Memorandum of Understating. It outlines our desire to work together, to pursue clear objectives, which is having an alliance leading to fighting elections and creating a government that is going to pursue a democratisation and a transformative agenda.

“It’s an understanding – there will of course be substantive negotiations later. This is just an outline of our commitment to work together.”

Dr Mujuru said: “From us the leadership of National People’s Party and the rest of National People’s Party members, supporters and sympathisers, I would like to say our happiness is immeasurable because a lot of people in Zimbabwe have been asking us questions.

“How are you going to do it? How are you going to make the way forward? When are you going to be meeting with your colleagues of the opposition parties?

“And I have been telling them not everyone in the opposition party is going to our signing of the Memorandum of Understanding. We have taken more than six months of consulting, discussing, making ourselves understand as to what expectations our people have or should be given from the two of us and I am happy to say today is the day.”

Dr Mujuru was quick to extend the begging bowl to donors saying: “I am sure the Zimbabwean populace and the world at large will really be coming forward to also assist in many ways which we are going to put across and also giving us their ideas of how things should be done because we know your expectations are very high.”