The MDC-T led by Douglas Mwonzora has reportedly appointed a formal committee to work on a strategy to engage the ruling ZANU PF party in dialogue.
The Daily News reported a source saying a six-member committee led by the party’s secretary-general and former deputy Labour minister in the inclusive government, Paurina Mpariwa, was established during a standing committee meeting held virtually on Wednesday.
Former Economic Planning minister and MDC treasurer-general, Tapiwa Mashakada, his deputy Chief Ndlovu, deputy national chairperson Giles Mutsekwa and Masvingo senator Tichinani Mavetera are reportedly among the members of the committee.
Former MDC-T interim leader, Thokozani Khupe is slated to be the committee’s sixth member, the Daily News heard. A senior party official is quoted as saying:
Their [committee] mandate is to identify concessions that the party intends to extract from the dialogue, not for itself only, but for the generality of Zimbabweans, as well as those it is prepared to sacrifice in order to get what it wants.
The committee will also examine specific issues upon which the dialogue will be premised as well as the specific position of the party on certain things.
After it is done, the committee will report to the president and ultimately to the national council before formally approaching Zanu PF and other stakeholders.
Following his victory at the chaotic MDC-T extraordinary congress held in December last year to choose a substantive president, Mwonzora said he will embark on “rational disputation” with ZANU PF.
Meanwhile, the MDC Alliance led by Nelson Chamisa recently said it was ready to negotiate with ZANU PF to find a way to end the country’s economic and political challenges.