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Joseph Madzimure

Senior Reporter

THE political drama and infinite split of MDC formations are due to poor ideological grounding by some leaders who pursue personal interests at the expense of the party, analysts have said.

Last week the political circus in the MDC saw the party’s vice president Dr Thokozani Khupe clashing with the president Mr Douglas Mwonzora.

To that end, Mr Mwonzora suspended Dr Khupe from MDC-T on Thursday accusing her of supping with adversaries and fomenting dissent in the fractious MDC-T.

Dr Khupe later announced the expulsion of Mr Mwonzora from the same party raising technical issues that he had left the party on his own to join the MDC-Alliance.

Political analysts described the move as unfortunate since it had nothing to do with people, but rather  individual egos.

Mr Collen Mharadzano a political analysts described the MDC formation as a circus saying it is on record that these are appendages of Westerners whose objectives have always been to malign and subjugate the interests of Third World countries.

The numerous outbursts which have been in the media, he said, have nothing to do with people, but rather meant to satisfy egos.

Mr Mharadzano said they cannot compare with Zanu PF, which he described as an organised party whose conduct of its primary elections is beyond reproach.

“That will give you a clear indication that the ruling party is anchored in the values of the people for the people,” he said.

The comedy in the opposition is taking place a few weeks before the country goes for crucial by-elections on March 26.

Next year the country will hold general elections.

The original MDC split in 2005 in the wake of sharp differences over participation in Senate elections.

The anti-Senate faction was to become the present day MDC-T while the pro-Senate faction is the MDC led by Professor Welshman Ncube, which further split resulting in the formation of MDC-99 which was led by Job Sikhala.

Mr Nelson Chamisa is also the leader of a splinter group, MDC-Alliance.

Mr Caution Torovei said the electorate will definitely dump the MDC, considering Zanu PF is not leaving any stone unturned on infrastructure development, fulfilling the 2018 party manifesto.

“Major roads across the country are currently under rehabilitation, giving people confidence in the ruling party policies, which are people driven,” said Mr Torovei.

A researcher, Mr Gibson Nyikadzino described the MDC formations as a dying movement which has no idea.

“What is happening in MDC formations and the political arena is that we cannot compare a dying movement which has no idea or which is not premised on any political ideas to the ever rising revolution which is presented by the ideas in which Zanu PF has been standing since the days of the liberation struggle into Independent Zimbabwe.

“In this context we realise that when the MDC formation started it was a congregation of student leaders, a congregation of the labour movement and white former farmers who came up with a political front, without central theme to those formations, which tells us why this is coming to a halt,” explained Mr Nyikadzino.

He said, they are splitting because from the beginning there was no consensus and now with Zanu PF bearing the idea of unity, peace and development there is an existence of that even at party level so that they are a disciplined force that can be marshalled into national development and enhancement.

This, he said, can be seen through peaceful provincial and primary elections that have been conducted by Zanu PF.

“It is an institution which is more than the individual. In these MDC formations, there is more of individualism, MDC, MDC-T, MDC-N, MDC-99, MDC-Alliance.

“Zanu PF is a collective effort, because it is a people oriented party with sound policie,” said Mr Nyikadzino.

Last year, Dr Khupe lost the race to lead the country’s main opposition now led by Mr Mwonzora, but as a face-saver, she was appointed the party’s first vice president. However, the relationship between the two has always been feeble.

While Mr Mwonzora insisted that he is the bona fide leader of the opposition  outfit, Dr Khupe declared that the party has now officially split into two.