Morgan Tsvangirai

Nqobile Tshili Bulawayo Bureau

MDC-T president Morgan Tsvangirai has pressed the panic button over delays by opposition parties to reach a consensus over a coalition.

Mr Tsvangirai reportedly told MDC-T Bulawayo provincial assembly members during a closed door meeting at MacDonald Hall in Mzilikazi suburb last Friday that the delays might harm the party’s chances of unseating Zanu-PF in next year’s general elections.

The various MDCs have dismally failed to come up with a formula to dislodge the hugely popular Zanu-PF from power since the MDC came into existence in 1999.

The opposition parties are at sixes and sevens over coalition arrangements, with a majority of them expressing discontent over the ongoing negotiations.

ZAPU president Dr Dumiso Dabengwa told journalists in Bulawayo on Thursday last week that the MDC-T was negotiating in bad faith and had made it clear that it would retain its leader Mr Tsvangirai and party name if the coalition deal was reached.

He said some political parties, including his, were in the dark over Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) being signed by Mr Tsvangirai and other opposition leaders who included Dr Joice Mujuru, Mr Tendai Biti and Professor Welshman Ncube.

Sources who attended Friday’s meeting said Mr Tsvangirai emphasised the need for coalition negotiations to be completed.

“The president spoke about the coalition, emphasising that coalition negotiations must now come to an end as time is running out,” said the source. “He said we can’t spend all the time talking about a coalition yet there is ground work that needs to be done, meaning parties should complete the process.”

Mr Tsvangirai has previously said that by the end of this month, parties should have completed coalition negotiations. The source said the opposition leader also spelt out the party’s strategy ahead of forthcoming elections.

“He spoke against imposing candidates saying the party should select people who have been loyal,” said the source. “He said imposing candidates cost the party in the past elections.

“He said the party will soon launch a ward-based campaign strategy. He also highlighted that the youths will be awarded a 20 percent stake in the party’s campaign strategy, be it parliamentary seats, local government and other programmes.”

After the meeting, Mr Tsvangirai told journalists: “I’m not making any press statements, I am sorry.”

MDC-T chief of staff Mr Sesil Zvidzai said there was nothing peculiar about Mr Tsvangirai meeting the party’s structures.

“This was an internal meeting where the president was here to meet the structures of the party,” he said. “He was interfacing with Bulawayo provincial structures in preparation for the next elections.”

After the MacDonald Hall meeting, Mr Tsvangirai held a secret indaba with the party’s national leadership. Among the people who attended the meeting were party vice president Ms Thokozani Khupe, national chairman Mr Lovemore Moyo and national organising secretary Mr Abednico Bhebhe.

The agenda of the meeting was not revealed.-