By Snodia Mawupeni | Zimbabwe’s main opposition Movement for Democratic Change, led by former Prime Minister in the Government of National Unity between 2009 and 2013 suffered a major political setback by losing two key founding members within a month this year.
For one of the strongest labour backed political parties in Zimbabwe that shook former president Robert Mugabe’s iron fist rule since independence, the recent events are like a candle light fading in darkness and the question is of raising from the dust and ashes to become a strong outfit to fight Zanu PF in the forthcoming elections due in afew months time this year.
Zanu PF brought Zimbabwe independence after armed struggle with Britain before 1980 but majority are suffering in social political and economical crisis since 2000 when chaotic land reform kicked off..
Over 200 MDC-T supporters lost their lives in 2008 presidential run off due to former president Mugabe ruthless state sponsored violence against opposition members.
They were in search of democratic rights when MDC was launched in 1999 but the death of Roy Bennett, a prominent Zimbabwean opposition figure, with his wife Heather in a helicopter crash in the US state of New Mexico on 19 January 2018 was the starting point of bad omen for the party this year.
Bennet who was living in exile in South Africa was the key founding members of MDC-T and his death gripped and shocked many people on political divide.
He was found guilty and sent to prison.
Bennet was jailed for a year in 2004 for assaulting former Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa after claiming that Bennett’s “forefathers were thieves and murderers” during a parliamentary debate.
Tsvangirai suffered state sponsored violence when he was attacked by police together with prominent lawyer Lovemore Madhuku.
Coupled by the latest death of its founding president Tsvangirai on 14 February 2018, the party has been left exposed and the big question is, ‘Will the party pick up its broken pieces and make a real challenge to Zanu PF under new leader Emerson Mngagwagwa that forced out long serving ruler Mugabe through a military coup in November last year.
Last week death of Tsvangirai shocked the international community with African opposition members among them Raila Odinga of Kenya, Zambia Congress of Trade Union representatives being among distinguished mourners to attend his burial in Manicaland province.
However, as thousands of Zimbabweans gather in Buhera on Tuesday, Tsvangirai homestead for his burial, many have written the party off after losing its key founding members this year.
Civil rights advocate and human rights journalist Rashweat Mukundu believes the party is on course to ‘rejuvenate’ itself under a youthful leadership.
He said, ‘It is naturally expected that a huge party like MDC-T will face succession convulsions more so as caused by the unfortunate death of long time leader Morgan Tsvangirai but the party need discipline and a focus on its electoral message minimizing public spats that create bad publicity and uncertainties within its support base;’ says Mukundu.
However, Sakhile Sifelani-Ngoma, Executive Director of the Women in Politics Support Unit (WiPSU) that provide support to women in parliament, local government and political spaces in Zimbabwe aiming to increase women’s qualitative and quantitative participation says women must be given their chance in local political parties.
She says ‘The question to all political parties including MDC-T is what are they offering women as a constituency? What commitments will they make in regards to women and women’s right that will turn into demonstrated and measurable impact on women’s lives? The women of if Zimbabwe are tired of being allegedly ‘respected’ but that respect is not translated into a progressive taxing system.
Harare Resident Trust Director Precious Shumba agrees with Mukundu that MDC-T is in a good position to restore the opposition party’s standing, if they avoid public fights among the top party leadership.
‘Of course Bennett and Tsvangirai were very strong characters who significantly influenced the party’s policies, ideologies and plans of action. Their departure at this stage leaves the party poorer. However, there is still goodwill among the party faithful, so it will not be difficult to reignite the spirit of resistance and the march for a democratic state as they campaign ahead of the 2018 elections,’ said Shumba.
Mukundu said, ‘Going forward the MDC-T will come out stronger based on the show of emotion on Bennett and Tsvangirai deaths. The MDC-T is the only party outside Zanu PF with a firm grassroots base and this needs consolation by a united leaders’.
But Shumba added that the reality that they face as a party is that the top leadership, especially the vice presidents, Thokozani Khupe, and Engineer Elias Mudzuri are expressing too much misgivings over the new role assigned to Nelson Chamisa in the new party dispensation without their founding president Tsvangirai.
‘Khupe has been openly hostile and contemptuous of Chamisa, and the party supporters will always take note of these differences and contestation for power among the top leadership. That is not the behavior of a leadership determined to wrest power from Zanu PF’ he added.
But Sifelani-Ngoma concluded that there is need for equitable economic development or even at a basic level just the commitment to equality in numbers majority of them who are women.
As the political drama continues to unfold within Zimbabwean politics, only time will tell for MDC-T raise from the ashes and become a force to reckon.