MDC+Rebels+attack+Mugabe-like+Tsvangirai,+B+Day




 * Business Day, Johannesburg, 16 January 2006**

=MDC rebels attack ‘Mugabe-like’ Tsvangirai=


 * Jonathan Katzenellenbogen**

A DISSIDENT faction of Zimbabwe’s main opposition, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), has accused the party’s embattled leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, of using violence, intimidation and “Mugabe-like” tactics to retain control.

The accusations come ahead of next month’s party conference, which is likely to see the party finally split.

A dissident faction said on Friday that it would soon hold its own party congress. The splinter group is led by MDC deputy president Gibson Sibanda and secretary-general Welshman Ncube. Ncube said on Friday his group would not reconcile with Tsvangirai, who has led the party since it was founded in 1999.

The MDC, which has posed the biggest challenge to President Robert Mugabe’s 25-year rule, has been in turmoil since it split into two factions after a disagreement over participation in last year’s senate polls.

Sibanda and Ncube last week accused Tsvangirai of using what they call “Mugabe-type” tactics of violence, intimidation and undemocratic behaviour to stay in power.

Visiting SA last week, Ncube also said that Tsvangirai was using a “cheap and dangerous” ethnic card to mobilise support ahead of the conference, by painting opposition as an “Ndebele rebellion”. Tsvangirai is a Shona, whereas Sibanda and Ncube are Ndebele.

Sibanda and Ncube were in Johannesburg this week to speak to local branches and diplomats. Their remarks come ahead of a national congress of Ncube’s group in late February or early March, which would appoint new members of the MDC executive committee, including the job of party president.

Ncube said the MDC’s challenge was to build a society different from the one Mugabe had established, and focus instead on nonviolence and democratic decision-making.

Tsvangirai, who has strong grassroots support in Zimbabwe, has called his own congress in March, where analysts speculate he will seek the expulsion of Ncube’s group. If Tsvangirai is not elected president, he could mount a legal challenge to the validity of the congress.

Analysts say it is unlikely Sibanda, who like Tsvangirai comes from the union movement, will become president, but there are no clear leaders so far. The vote for party president takes place along provincial lines and most have a Shona majority, making it likely the new leader will come from Mashonaland.

Sibanda said that by ridding the party of Tsvangirai and adhering to democratic values, the MDC would be in a position to regain voter confidence in its leadership. With Reuters


 * From: http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/topstories.aspx?ID=BD4A139070**