By Elias Mambo | Zim Morning Post |
MDC vice chairperson Job Sikhala said the decision to go ahead with the planned August 16 demonstration is a collective one by the party’ s executive.
This comes on the backdrop of reports that ‘Wiwa’, as Sikhala is affectionately known, had to convince the MDC leader Nelson Chamisa that the opposition has to confront Zanu PF head on in a no-holds-barred meeting last Monday.
‘Wiwa’ is a militant leader who is becoming the darling of the fans as he has managed to move and whip emotions in the rallies he has addressed.
“There are no disagreements over the planned demonstration. The decision to hold the protest is a collective one,” Sikhala said.
Within the internal party dynamics, Wiwa is a strong vice president Tendai Biti ally, whose faction is also militant in its approach.
Sources said Chamisa, for long, had managed to cool the tempers and treated the electoral dispute with “kids gloves” when many of his lieutenants are pushing for a robust approach in dealing with Zanu PF.
“In the meeting Wiwa had to convince Chamisa to give a signal.
“If you have been following Twitter discussions, the people have been waiting for the signal but Chamisa was opting for a soft approach.”
In an interview with this publication Biti also aired the need for a militant approach in dealing with the ruling Zanu PF.
“Mass action is a legitimate form of struggle allowed by the constitution. The ED regime is badly advised. It needs the MDC to extricate itself from the huge political and economic vertigo it finds itself in,” Biti said.
“It needs to dialogue to save itself. It’s options are very limited but what’s more constrained is the time it has,” he said.
