The Professor Arthur Mutambara-led MDC is headed for deep trouble after it emerged that the party’s top executive is ready to dump its leader saying they are tired of being vice-presidents and deputies.

Top party leaders yesterday said they made a mistake when they chose Prof Mutambara and endorsed Mavambo leader Dr Simba Makoni’s presidential candidature during last year’s harmonised elections, adding that it was time for the people of Matabeleland to show their capabilities in leading the country.

In remarks laced with unfortunate and divisive tribal connotations during belated victory celebrations held at Ntabazinduna, just outside Bulawayo yesterday, MDC Vice-President Mr Gibson Sibanda said Ndebele people were as capable as any other tribe in the country and should not always be relegated to playing second fiddle to others in national politics.

“Kanti yena owathi thina savela sazalwa kwathiwa singabo ‘vice’ ngubani? Lathi siyalifuna ithuba lokuthi sibuse njalo siphathe izikhundla zombangazwe,’’ said Sibanda. (Who said we were born to hold positions of deputies and vices? We also deserve an opportunity to lead and hold positions of governance and power?)

Mr Sibanda’s sentiments were echoed by MDC’s treasurer, Mr Fletcher Dulini-Ncube, who felt that people from the region were being marginalised despite the fact that they were at the heart of the formation of the original MDC.

Chronicling the circumstances surrounding the creation of the Global Political Agreement (GPA), Mr Sibanda told the people that the arrangement was a compromise position, urging them to support it as it was designed to bring stability into the country and turn around the nation’s economic woes.

“We saw it fit to unite and turn the fortunes of our country around because the country was on the verge of collapsing. This unity is just a marriage of convenience, come election time we will cause an upset and change the political landscape as we did in the previous elections in March last year,’’ he said.

To resounding applause, Mr Dulini-Ncube reminded the attendants that none of the principals who had signed the GPA were from the region and this had to be rectified in the next elections as they were tired of hoisting other tribes on their shoulders and thrusting them into power.

Party secretary general Professor Welshman Ncube concurred with his colleagues, proffering his apologies to the supporters for the “oversight’’ they (the leadership) made in agreeing to back Dr Makoni’s presidential bid during last year’ harmonised election.

“We have seen the error of our ways and we apologise for letting you down by always backing other people at the expense of ourselves. In the next elections we will endeavor to rectify this,’’ said Prof Ncube.

Speaker after speaker lamented the exclusion of people from the region from key positions in Government and assured the people that “something’’ would be done to ensure that they receive fair and equal representation.

To illustrate marginalisation, Mr Sibanda pointed out that Prof Ncube who had played a key role in negotiating for the GPA settlement, had been left out in the cold when the signing ceremony was being held saying despite all this hard work “basebemvalela phandle uNcube yenalo, umfokaMathonsi”.

Among the chief grievances was the “lowly’’ portfolio given to the Vice-President Sibanda, which was supposedly not consistent with the leading role he played in the formation of the “MDC Original’’ faction.

“Kumele likhumbule ukuthi uSibanda lowo wayengumkhokheli weZCTU and ngabe nguye owabanguPresident hatshi ukuhamba lisiyadinga omunye umuntu ongasowakithi. Manje asisakwazi ukuthi isikepe lesi esikuso ngesiqonda ngaphi, sivotela bani owesintwini?” queried party supporters.

During the question and answer session the leaders came under fire facing accusations of betraying the electorate by “head-hunting’’ for a leader when they themselves were quite capable of accomplishing the task.

Prof Ncube conceded that finding a “candidate for hire” in the mould of Dr Makoni to stand for election in the Presidential race was a monumental error.

He said steps would be taken to ensure a candidate from the region stood for office come the next elections.

Quizzed as to how Professor Mutambara fitted into the mould of this so-called “MDC Originals”’, the hosting Ward 5 Councillor Mr Kimpton Sibanda was at great pains to include the party president in this elite clique insisting that he had merited his position on the strength of his past exploits in student activism.

“He (Mutambara) showed leadership at University (of Zimbabwe), proved his worth during his days of student activism and his being selected to lead us has nothing to do with tribal connotations,” said Mr Sibanda who sung a different tune from the rest.

Despite the half-hearted attempts at being diplomatic, Mr Sibanda’s sentiments were effectively drowned by the barrage of tribally sensitive remarks by those who outrank him in the party.

(Source)