Ex-MDC-T MP Calls For Chamisa Plumtree Rally Boycott Amid Mthwakazi Threats Of Violence.. PICTURE:

By Paul Nyathi| The former MDC-T Member of Parliament for Bulilima East Constituency in Matabeleland South has called on the people of the area to boycott the MDC Alliance coalition rally set to be held in Plumtree town on Sunday.

Norman Mpofu who represented for the constituency in the 2013 to 2018 parliament implored on the people of Plumtree and Matabeleland not to attend the rally to express their displeasure on what he described as tribal incited violent attacks on Deputy President Thokozani Khuphe.

In a social media post which attracted a large backing from fellow MDC-T supporters in the Matabeleland region, Mpofu said that allowing Chamisa to address a rally in Matabeleland will be tantamount to endorsing tribalism within the party.

“After the Buhera debacle where not only Thokozani (Khuphe) was insulted and threatened but the entire Mthwakazi, after Mthwakazi members were sidelined at Tsvangirai burial, should we allow Chamisa to come address Mthwakazi at Plumtree? Allowing him will be rewarding tribalism,” said Mpofu.

Mpofu who commands a huge following and respect from the community in Plumtree town and around the district accused Chamisa for branding Matabeleland people dissidents.

This comes after MDC-T youth members called Khuphe a dissident when they attacked her at the late Morgan Tsvangirai’s burial last month.

The youths who may have been referring to Khuphe’s refusal to accept Chamisa’s leadership may not have been aware that Matabeleland infers the term dissident to the eighties Gukurahundi atrocities where over 20 000 people were killed by the army on accusations that they were dissidents.

“I advice people to stay away from the Chamisa rally at Plumtree until Chamisa and his supporters stop seeing a dissident in each one of us, those who consider themselves as dissidents will go to the rally,” he said.

The rally in Plumtree, unlike the one set for Dete in Matabeleland North ,has attracted a huge attention from the people of Matabeleland especially the Mthwakazi restoration proponents who are threatening to disrupt the rally.

Members of the radical Matabeleland regional opposition party Mthwakazi Republic Party have issued statements threatening that they will block the road to Plumtree and stop Chamisa from getting to the venue.

The radical group has also attracted support from the growing number of MDC-T members who are backing the Khuphe faction.

Sources who spoke in confidence to ZimEye.com from within the MDC-T Matabeleland South province indicated that the party is taking the security threats seriously and have since raised the issue with the police.

Meanwhile, in Bulawayo, police called off a rally which was set to be addressed by Khuphe in the city on Saturday raising security fears that the rally would turn violent because of the bad blood between the MDC-T factions in the city.

MDC-T supporters brutally attacked each other over the weekend at the party offices leaving 15 people hospitalised and 16 arrested.