MDC-Tsvangirai Harassing, Intimidating Our Supporters, Says ZAPU

Dumiso Dabengwa, interim leader of the revived opposition party, ZAPU, is seen here attending a National Event, is extremely popular in the southern region of Zimbabwe, and a sizeable following in the rest of the country. MDC-Tsvangirai have now exposed how much they fear him and his party by intimidating supporters ahead of by-elections expected to be held in Matabeleland South after the expulsion of Mutambara MDC MPs from their party

Harare, Zimbabwe, 26 October 2009

The resurgent opposition party, ZAPU, which is sweeping Matabeleland provinces at the moment has accused the MDC led by Morgan Tsvangirai of intimidating its supporters in Matabeleland South province, where by-elections are expected to be called to fill seats that have fallen vacant.

There are three seats that are now vacant after the MDC led by Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara expelled three MPs who had started getting friendly with Tsvangirai's MDC.

Ironically, even though Mutambara's MDC and the Tsvangirai faction of the MDC both fancy their chances in the by-elections, they may actually lose out to the newcomer, led by one of the most loved politicians in the region, Dumiso Dabengwa.

ZAPU is campaigning intensely in the province and is set to take all of the seats when the elections are called.

ZAPU Spokesman Methuseli Moyo says his party's supporters are being warned against ZAPU meetings, and that "if they defy that directive not to attend ZAPU meetings, they will be met with unspecified action, since MDC-T is now part of government and can use state machinery to mete out vengeance."

This is a very grave threat in the region, where memories of Gukurahundi are still fresh. The MDC-T knows this and it is especially cruel for them to use the threat of state machinery because the villagers will think that the MDC-T, being part of government now, will also resort to ZANU PF tactics to cow this region populated by the minority Ndebele tribe.

The area has been treated shoddily for decades by Mugabe, who saw even the civilians of the region as anti-Zimbabwean, which is what led to Gukurahundi.

Yet, the MDC-Tsvangirai is shooting itself in the foot by going this route. The Ndebele people are not easily intimidated. Mugabe learnt that the hard way - despite massacring 20 000 of their comrades, the people of the area still came out in droves to vote repeatedly against him and ZANU PF.

I think we can be certain now that the MDC-T stands little chance in the area if they are resorting to these tactics.

The by-elections will show us just how badly they have been affected by their adoption of ZANU PF attitudes in the area.

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By the way, Mugabe moved his meeting with Tsvangirai and Mutambara to much later this afternoon (it is a tactic he uses to wear down negotiating partner), so the results of their meeting will not be known until around 8 o'clock tonight, when the meeting is supposed to end.

As soon as word gets out, you will find it here first, just as you did with the announcement of the disengagement, which was broken on this blog before any other media in the world reported it!!

Keep checking.