MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai has said his party is not involved in any coalition talks with the Joice Mujuru-led Zimbabwe People First.
Tsvangirai, speaking in Gweru last Friday, said there is no truth to reports of the alleged talks with Mujuru. “Coalition with ZimPF, there is no truth in that. It remains a speculative position by the media. Some have even concluded that the MDC has walked away from the talks. There’re no talks, if there’re talks, the nation would be informed and if there’re any points of difference or agreement for convergence, the nation will know but we can’t work on the basis of speculation by the media,” he told The Chronicle in an interview.
The MDC-T leader claimed that a “national convergence of opposition parties” was needed if they were going to entertain any thoughts of winning the 2018 election. “A national convergence position is needed to make sure in 2018, the country take a new direction. We said we need a big tent so there’s need for people to discuss to negotiate and work together,” he said.
Tsvangirai was also overcome by nostalgia for his days working with President Mugabe and claimed that the two worked reasonably well during the Government of National Unity (GNU) between 2009 and 2013 when his party lost dismally to Zanu-PF.
He said during the GNU, he shared some private moments with President Mugabe which he said were not forced upon the leaders. “We shared some private moments because we had to share since we had agreed. We had to share State issues, issues of government work programmes and we worked reasonably well and achieved positive results,” said Tsvangirai.
He said demonstrations held two weeks ago in Harare and others planned in the remaining provinces were just a way by the MDC-T to express itself and not to stage a coup as the government in place was constitutional. This is a departure from the MDC-T’s leader’s unsubstantiated claims of vote rigging in the aftermath of the 2013 polls.
“We said that our intention of expressing ourselves is never to be misinterpreted as an attempt to oust or overthrow the government. We made that clear. This isn’t an expression of overthrowing a government which is constitutionally in place,” he added. Chronicle