Former Member of Parliament for Bulawayo South, David Coltart in his new book claims that in 2006, opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai trained bandits in South Africa in preparation for a violent takeover of power in Zimbabwe.
In his controversial memoirs, “The Struggle Continues: 50 Years of Tyranny in Zimbabwe”, Mr Coltart – a founding secretary for legal affairs in the MDC – reveals how the split in the original party came about because of Mr Tsvangirai’s knack for violence.
According to Mr Coltart, Mr Tsvangirai not only engaged in intra-party violence where he used “agents provocateurs” such as one Tonderai Ndira, but sought to escalate violence into a nationwide confrontation with the ruling Zanu-PF.
He said at party level, Mr Tsvangirai had become paranoid as he thought that there were efforts to muscle him out of leadership, especially when the party had proposed during constitutional amendments presented to Parliament that a national president needed to have at least a university degree.
He also felt that the only way he could wrestle power from Zanu-PF was through violence, says Mr Coltart. It was on this basis that Mr Tsvangirai refused to participate in the re-introduced senatorial elections, causing the split of October 2005.
Mr Coltart says the use of violence, which was meted against officials such as Peter Guhu and Trudy Stevenson resulted in the split the party.
But, it was the training of bandits that shocked Mr Coltart, and which led him to cut ties with Mr Tsvangirai and opted to join the other faction that was then being led by Arthur Mutambara.
He said the training camp for MDC operatives in South Africa was being conducted “by ex-South African policemen under the supervision of an ex-Rhodesian soldier”. “There was confusion as to whether the training was ‘offensive’ or ‘defensive’ but weapons were clearly involved,” says Mr Coltart.
“The South African National Defence Force had been bribed to allow these trained men back across the border,” he said. Mr Coltart says he had learnt about the development from two journalists who had filmed the training operation.
He concluded that the operation “appeared to be chronically amateurish” and would also play into the hands of the ruling party.
“While I understood the desperation and helplessness that many felt in the face of Zanu-PF’s oppression, this was, in my view, a foolhardy response,” he writes.
“Even if one believed in a violent solution, the training was on such a small scale that it could never mount a serious challenge to Zanu-PF’s hegemony. What it would provide was the ideal excuse to crack down even harder on the MDC.
“The revelation was the final straw. Principle aside, I was unwilling to have any part of an organisation that was prepared to take such risks,” said the Bulawayo lawyer.
He said he wrote a circular to his constituents on May 23, telling them that MDC-T had “shown no inclination to deal with violence” and he could not join that party.
“All that was left for me to do now was to decide whether to stay in politics and, if so to get assurances from MDC-M that they would root out ‘the scourge of violence’”.
Mr Coltart said Mr Tsvangirai and his party were spoiling for “yet another war” in the country and took the risk to join the smaller MDC faction.
“I would rather lose my seat in Parliament than compromise certain principles, which are fundamental to my belief system,” he said. – state media
8 Replies to “David Coltart Exposes Tsvangirai”
Comments are closed.
Yes . So what ? Hate exist smongst ppl and you cant force me to love him either
Yes . So what ? Hate exist smongst ppl and you cant force me to love him either
That might be true to a lesser extend man. Truth is , if go down memory lane there has been a stream of tribal wars between ndebeles and shonas before the white man and these were caused by the mzilikazi who headed north to invade the shonas who had settled way back and had establushed a kingdom we now call zimbabwe.
Sorry to say back then ndebeles were a babaric blood thirsty tribe who stole cattle from the shonas and their grain as this tribe had no clue on subsistance farming but relied on robbery and hunting.
When the whites came they took advantage of the already going on battles . They cheated Lobengula and gave him a gun in exchange of mineral rights . That was the most stupid idea which led to unwanted and resisted occupation by rodhes . Who went on to brutally kill our forefathers Kaguvi nd mbuya nehanda . It was so shameful . They hanged her naked . Till today all shonas are hurt by what Lobengula did . Joining hands with the whites and trying to drive shonas from their rightful land .
So my man . We are now civilized and we cant rescind history . Let it go and lets move on . Otherwise you would have to go back to south africa where you rightfully belong .
It is history written in all shonas hearts lest you forget about madzviti . It basically means raiders .
In as much as you want to claim what happened in 1980 . Shonas will be keen to know what had happened before . You can never rob us of our history . The only advantage you have is you sided with the whites . Most blacks in the Rodhesian army were ndebeles . Lest you also forget about gwesela and his gang who went on a maraud of decimating shonas and stealing their cattle soon after the war . Some of have relatives whose mouths were cut off by gwesela . And you agree with me that your ppl would hide these bandits and terrorists in their own homes . Thes gweselas ha refused to surrender the weapons they used during the liberation struggle and they would go into shona homes to steal kill and decimate innocent ppl . All because they had the blood of lobengula running in them .
So please let bygones be bygones . Otherwise opening those chapters will only result in one thing , demand for you to go back and claim land in south africa not here .
That might be true to a lesser extend man. Truth is , if go down memory lane there has been a stream of tribal wars between ndebeles and shonas before the white man and these were caused by the mzilikazi who headed north to invade the shonas who had settled way back and had establushed a kingdom we now call zimbabwe.
Sorry to say back then ndebeles were a babaric blood thirsty tribe who stole cattle from the shonas and their grain as this tribe had no clue on subsistance farming but relied on robbery and hunting.
When the whites came they took advantage of the already going on battles . They cheated Lobengula and gave him a gun in exchange of mineral rights . That was the most stupid idea which led to unwanted and resisted occupation by rodhes . Who went on to brutally kill our forefathers Kaguvi nd mbuya nehanda . It was so shameful . They hanged her naked . Till today all shonas are hurt by what Lobengula did . Joining hands with the whites and trying to drive shonas from their rightful land .
So my man . We are now civilized and we cant rescind history . Let it go and lets move on . Otherwise you would have to go back to south africa where you rightfully belong .
It is history written in all shonas hearts lest you forget about madzviti . It basically means raiders .
In as much as you want to claim what happened in 1980 . Shonas will be keen to know what had happened before . You can never rob us of our history . The only advantage you have is you sided with the whites . Most blacks in the Rodhesian army were ndebeles . Lest you also forget about gwesela and his gang who went on a maraud of decimating shonas and stealing their cattle soon after the war . Some of have relatives whose mouths were cut off by gwesela . And you agree with me that your ppl would hide these bandits and terrorists in their own homes . Thes gweselas ha refused to surrender the weapons they used during the liberation struggle and they would go into shona homes to steal kill and decimate innocent ppl . All because they had the blood of lobengula running in them .
So please let bygones be bygones . Otherwise opening those chapters will only result in one thing , demand for you to go back and claim land in south africa not here .
to some of us we received bad treatement from the shona people than from the whites.
you just hate welshman NCUBE FOR being ndebele , was he the only person who had an opposition part in ZIM. why not talk of simba makoni, shake spear maya, magret dongo, tekere and leave welshman Ncube . you are just a tribalist
Lets see what Coltat is trying to achieve but i bet my last dollar , it wont give any credence to this welshman idiot party . In fact it does no good to you coltat as the armed struggle was fought for better causes than the divide you are trying to do .
Unfortunately every black in this country would have never wanted the smith regime which saw a black man like a toilet tissue . Never . Look at how south africans are so inferior to the whites because of prolonges supression. Aboriginals are fkd up bcz of whites . So back off dude . You know who you are . Mupuruvheya . I remember very well my mum hated the way she was treated by the whites . And we carry that history in our hearts . You are no saint either and you dont even know kuti zimboz are no whiteman worshippers . We listen with both ears . Ears on the head and those in the heart . Sorry hako . But causing a void will not fit you in . We know you are of a biased nature , just like your forefathers were before the armed struggles
Lets see what Coltat is trying to achieve but i bet my last dollar , it wont give any credence to this welshman idiot party . In fact it does no good to you coltat as the armed struggle was fought for better causes than the divide you are trying to do .
Unfortunately every black in this country would have never wanted the smith regime which saw a black man like a toilet tissue . Never . Look at how south africans are so inferior to the whites because of prolonges supression. Aboriginals are fkd up bcz of whites . So back off dude . You know who you are . Mupuruvheya . I remember very well my mum hated the way she was treated by the whites . And we carry that history in our hearts . You are no saint either and you dont even know kuti zimboz are no whiteman worshippers . We listen with both ears . Ears on the head and those in the heart . Sorry hako . But causing a void will not fit you in . We know you are of a biased nature , just like your forefathers were before the armed struggles