By Terrence Mawawa, Masvingo| Troubled MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai is caught up in the vortex of a storm as tension continues to mount in Masvingo Province with the provincial executive exerting pressure on him to axe Secretary General Douglas Mwonzora.
On the other hand Tsvangirai’s supporters are calling for the dismissal of the entire provincial executive -said to be loyal to former Organising Secretary Nelson Chamisa. The Masvingo provincial executive is led by James Gumbi who is said to be Chamisa’s right hand person.
Tsvangirai who was in Masvingo on Saturday appealed for unity of purpose in the wake of the brewing storm in the province and ZimEye.com is reliably informed the former premier failed to ease the mounting tension.
The MDC provincial executive is pressing Tsvangirai to get rid of Mwonzora and Bernard Chiondegwa (former provincial chairman)-both thought to be the ex-premier’s key aides and strategists -and the MDC leader is deeply reluctant to act on the two senior party members. The provincial executive accuses the two of disregarding party protocol by holding clandestine meetings in the province, sources have said.
Meanwhile Tsvangirai’s supporters accuse the provincial executive of working with Chamisa to discredit the MDC president. “The tension is rising everyday because there are two warring groups here.
There are people who feel the provincial executive is disloyal to Tsvangirai while members of the provincial executive are putting pressure on the president(Tsvangirai) to axe Mwonzora and Chiondegwa. Tsvangirai appealed for peace and unity but his call fell on deaf ears,” said a senior party official. MDC provincial spokesperson Dust Zivhave however said the meeting was successful and the party was geared up for the provincial rallies scheduled for this month.
Tsvangirai also remained mum on the much anticipated coalition with former Vice President Joice Mujuru and party intelligence sources said the premier was contemplating the authenticity of the grand coalition.
Many Zimbabweans are hoping the coalition of opposition parties will finally end decades of misrule by President Robert Mugabe and his largely unpopular Zanu PF.