The opposition MDC has invited the ruling party ZANU PF-affiliated war veterans association and the Thokozani Khupe-led MDC-T to its 24-26 elective Congress set to be held in Gweru.
The invitation was revealed by the party’s national organising secretary, Mkoba MP Amos Chibaya and the secretary for information, Jacob Mafume last week.
However, MDC-T vice president Obert Gutu dismissed the invitation, calling the MDC Congress kindergarten gibberish. Speaking to the Daily News, Gutu said:
At any rate, the MDC-T has got completely no appetite to attending kindergarten gibberish.
If we want real entertainment, we go to a circus and not to a facade of a gathering disguised as a congress.
There is the High Court order by Honourable Justice Edith Mushore to contend with.
We are a law-abiding political party that resolutely believes in the rule of law and constitutionalism. We adhere to democracy and not mobocracy.
Why should we be seen hanging around with that lot? No, that won’t happen until the second coming of the Son of Man. We are perfectly happy where we are.
Let them wine and dine using the money they are getting from Robert Mugabe and Grace Mugabe. The chickens are coming home to roost. It’s not a congress, it’s actually a complete dog’s breakfast.
War veterans secretary-general, Victor Matemadanda said that he is not going to attend the Congress. He said:
Assuming it was formal I would still not attend because in view of the court ruling it is an illegal congress and I would not attempt to give it any legality.
… In any case for your own information when I sought to attend Tsvangirai’s send off before his body left for Buhera last year, the MDC youths barred me and how will the so-called vanguards allow me to attend their congress when they blocked me from a funeral?