Zimbabwean president Emmerson Mnangagwa says he will soon meet with Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) leader and MDC Alliance presidential candiate, Nelson Chamisa, to discuss possible solutions to rising cases of politically-motivated violence in the opposition party.
Speaking at an interdenominational church meeting in Harare on Monday titled ‘Interactive Meeting with Churches in Zimbabwe’, Mnangagwa said the two are expected to explore ways of curbing violence as factionalism has led to serious clashes in the MDC-T following the recent death of party founding president Morgan Tsvangirai.
Chamisa, who took over Tsvangirai’s post soon after the former trade unionist died of cancer of the colon, did not immediately react to Mnangagwa’s remarks.
MDC-T vice president Thokozani Khupe claims that she is the legitimate acting MDC-T president.
In a related development, the MDC-T said it is investigating clashes between rival factions in Bulawayo over the weekend in which 15 people were injured, two of them seriously, when party supporters allegedly linked to Chamisa stoned Khupe’s backers attending a meeting.
The MDC-T condemned the violence that took place at the party offices in Bulawayo, noting that it has dispatched a two-member team to normalize the situation.
“In addition, the party has ordered the party’s chairperson for Bulawayo province, Mr. Gift Banda, to submit a detailed report to President Nelson Chamisa by end of day today. The party has today dispatched the party’s Arbiter-General and the head of Security and Intelligence, Mr. Giles Mutsekwa to normalize the situation in Bulawayo. The party’s national council, the supreme decision-making body between Congresses, last week decisively pronounced itself on the matter and said violence was not part of the culture and the DNA of the MDC.
“The national council resolved that stern action be taken against the instigators of the disturbing incidences of violence if they are found to be party members. The party is concerned with the trend that started with the incident in Buhera and now a similar incident in Bulawayo. Of particular concern to the party is the convening of unsanctioned meetings by senior leaders in Bulawayo, the dereliction of duty by some senior officials as well as the possibility of an external hand in the disturbances.”