It is heads you win, tails you lose for the two MDCs

OPPOSITION politics in Zimbabwe has entered the twilight zone.

This week alone, two very important but equally repugnant events happened within the opposition ranks.

First, the Nelson Chamisa-led MDC Alliance purported to fire three party national executive members in Morgen Komichi, Douglas Mwonzora and Elias Mudzuri whose sin – they said – was co-operating with Zanu PF.

Within the same week – on May 7 to be precise – the MDC-T led by Thokozani Khupe brought the hammer, recalling four legislators “belonging” to the MDC Alliance, three from Parliament and one from the Senate.

Enter Job Sikhala

The outspoken St Mary’s legislator was allotted the onerous responsibility to announce MDC Alliance legislators’ en masse withdrawal from Parliament and the Senate.

But in an interview today (May 9) with Mwonzora, the returned MDC-T secretary general, Zim Morning Post heard that Sikhala had, during his prepared speech to the media, changed his script from saying “withdrawal to disengagement” after the majority of MPs and Senators had indicated disgruntlement with the option to withdraw.

Asked on the prospect of losing people like Sikhala from the MDC, Mwonzora said the St Mary’s legislator was persona non grata to his party, describing his influence as poisonous.

But the big question now remains: Who, between the two erstwhile friends, is going to win the confidence of the legislators, where all the battle currently appears to be focused?

Mwonzora told Zim Morning Post that his party had covered a lot of ground in ensuring that they get the trust of “our parliamentarians and senators”, adding that most of them were calling and giving them assurances.

But it seems like the battle will go to the wire, with whoever gets the ZWL7.5 million meant for political party funding likely to go away smiling.

But the die has been cast

Mwonzora and crew have already cast the die…with more shocking events likely to overshadow the political landscape for the next couple of months.

Insiders say Khupe has turned her eyes towards the local government where MDC enjoys its hold on power.

“Six Harare councillors are on the firing squad,” said a senior official in the Khupe-led MDCT.

Chamisa controls all but a few rural councils. The recall of councillors will obviously be met with stiff resistance.

But Mwonzora remains adamant his team is bringing sanity to the MDC.

“We want nothing but constitutionalism. We have been in the trenches for long and we cannot continue pretending as if it is business as usual.

“Everyone who has opposed them (Nelson Chamisa team) is labelled Zanu PF.

“We have support from the people and we know we are on the right path,” said Mwonzora.