Trade Unions, NCA Blast Tsvangirai and Mugabe

Deputy Prime Ministers Thokozani Khupe and Arthur Mutambara are seen here with Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni at State House in Entebbe. The two were taken on a junket by Robert "The Solution" Mugabe as he starts his offensive to charm the MDC-T leadership into submitting to his will. He appears to be winning. Meantime, back home, all hell is breaking loose, with Civil society partners of the MDC-T declaring their marriage to the opposition party dissolved.

Former allies of the MDC-T, the Zimbabwe Congress Of Trade Unions and the National Constitutional Assembly have blasted Morgan Tsvangirai and Robert Mugabe over their failures on not only the constitution but also the running of the country in general.

Almost all of the criticism was directed at Morgan Tsvangirai and the MDC-T, signalling that the myopic days of "why criticise Tsvangirai, criticise Mugabe instead" are over.

Indeed, it serves no purpose to harp on about the geriatric Mugabe, who everyone agrees should go into the sunset. But the disappointment with Tsvangirai is acutely felt because he has posed over the last decade or so as the embodiment of people's hope in their fight against the ZANU PF dictatorship.

His praise-singing of Mugabe now is especially wounding to his former comrades, like Madhuku, who was beaten up severely together with Tsvangirai during that aborted "prayer meeting" in Highfields, amongst many other beatings he has suffered at the hands of the Zimbabwe Republic Police.

Dr Madhuku, whom I spoke to a few minutes ago by phone, told delegates to the NGO-Organised All People's Convention at the Acquatic Complex in Chitungwiza:

"He (Tsvangirai) is now saying Mugabe is indispensable. He drinks tea with Mugabe. This is now the new gospel of the MDC. We will not accept this."

"On the constitution, let us tell Tsvangirai direct that we will not accept a politically-driven process."

He also blasted Tendai Biti, the Finance Minister and MDC-T Secretary-General, for his comments earlier last month when he told an interviewer: "Mugabe is a Victorian Gentleman", saying his view of The Solution (Mugabe) had changed since they got into government.

Lovemore Matombo of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions also weighed in at the event, saying the MDC-T was "indicating left but turning right. They go with the wind."\

Clever Bere, president of the Zimbabwe Students Union, was also present and told the gathering he was "not sure if it is the MDC-T we have today," in reference to widely held opinion in Zimbabwe now that Tsvangirai and the MDC-T have been co opted and are now basically singing the ZANU PF song.

As I pointed out, attacks on Tsvangirai were more prominent than on any other party to the GNU and Inclusive Agreement. And as I have also pointed out before, this reflects the bitter disappointment that people now regard Tsvangirai with.

Of course, there are still MDC-T apologists out there who are now in the curious position of defending Mugabe when they defend such statements from Tsvangirai as "President Mugabe is indispensable and irreplaceable" and "President Mugabe is not going anywhere, the West needs to get over its obsession with Mugabe."

How far we have come from the Gwanzura days when Tsvangirai bellowed to a capacity crowd:

"We want to tell Mugabe today that if you don't go peacefully, we will remove you violently."

My my, how little things change, heh?