VIOLENCE broke out in the Movement for Democratic Change Renewal Team in a power struggle between party Secretary General Tendai Biti and, Treasurer Elton Mangoma supporters over party leadership at the weekend, ZimEye.com can reveal.
 
Two Mangoma supporters were landed bloody bashes on their bodies right in the middle of saying prayers during a rally at the large CJ Hall in Highfields.
 
One of the attacked Jabulani Munyanyi popularly known as Greyhound told ZimEye.com he was assaulted solely as punishment for supporting Mangoma during a time when popularity was fast growing in Mangoma’s favour against Biti following the recalling of the party’s MPs this month.
 
“I was even warned a day before by the provincial chairperson Dumisani Makwanya that this was going to happen to me,” he said almost in tears.
“They also attacked my colleague, Friday Nleya,” he added, hinting also that the group of youths also took his cellphone. “They also took my Samsung Galaxy S4,” he said.
When quizzed by ZimEye.com on the possibility of the attack being caused by real thugs who may have taken advantage of the tension, Munyanyi replied saying he was absolutely sure of the political motive behind the attack since he had been warned a day before by the chairperson Dumisani Makwanya.
He also added saying: “I personally know these boys and their motive,” he said.
 
No Police Report
But there is no police report yet and Munyanyi said Secretary General Tendai Biti allegedly told him not report to the police yet until a full report is written down.
 
Biti and Mangoma in fist fight (near).
Meanwhile, the weekend violence came at a time when Biti and Mangoma themselves were caught in a near fist fight against each other, while some cadres say they actually did exchanged blows during a meeting at the weekend.
The meeting, party sources said, later resolved to hold an early national elective congress to end the simmering factional fights.

The opposition party has been under the caretaker leadership of its guardian council headed by chairperson Sekai Holland since last year when its leaders broke ranks with the Morgan Tsvangirai-led MDC-T.
However, the membership still believes that the de facto leaders were Biti and Mangoma.
The leadership fights allegedly intensified with the expulsion of Biti and 20 others from Parliament a fortnight ago and members now view this as an opportunity to deal with the leadership question decisively.
“The fight between Biti and Mangoma for leadership came again under the spotlight at Thursday’s meeting where some Biti allies accused Mangoma of campaigning for the presidency ahead of the congress to the detriment of the party,” an insider said.
“It was then agreed that a congress should be held soon, between end of June and early October this year, to bring to finality the question of leadership.”
Biti and Mangoma could not be reached for comment yesterday.
MDC Renewal Team spokesman Jacob Mafume yesterday confirmed plans for an early congress.
“We agreed that we should have our own congress and policy conference as soon as possible so that we have substantive leadership,” Mafume said.
He, however, said the congress was not being held to end the hostilities between Biti and Mangoma.
“This is not about political contestation, but most of the leadership today is made up of people in acting capacities except Biti, Mangoma and Solomon Madzore. The scenario affects execution of programmes especially to those who are in acting capacity,” he added.
But another insider said the leadership question was bordering on who can give the party greater traction as the country moves towards the 2018 elections.
“Most in the party think Biti will give them traction because he is more popular and has more gravitas than Mangoma. However, Mangoma has done a lot of groundwork thereby having more supporters on the grassroots thus setting a stage for a bruising fight,” the source said.
Mafume said the meeting also endorsed the court challenge to the recall of its MPs from Parliament and reiterated the party’s position to continue boycotting future elections until electoral reforms have been implemented. ZimEye.com /Additional Reporting – Newsday