GRAND COALITION NOW A REALITY IN ZIMBABWE!!

MDC-T, MDC, ZAPU, Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn (MKD) and ZANU Ndonga went to great lengths to conceal the fact they have been having secret talks. They also devised a strategy to deceive the media in general, by pretending nothing was happening, perhaps wary that the information would be leaked to their opponents in ZANU PF. On Friday ZAPU and MDC leaders Dumiso Dabengwa and Welshman Ncube announced at a media briefing in Bulawayo that they had signed an alliance that would see the parties work together during and after the elections. This announcement will culminate in all the parties meeting in Harare next week to sign up to a grand coalition.

This is where Dabengwa and Ncube are expected to announce that they are withdrawing their presidential candidatures, leaving Tsvangirai to challenge Mugabe for the third time in a decade. It’s believed that Dabengwa will be offered a senior ministerial post for allowing his party to be part of this coalition. MKD leader Simba Makoni is also earmarked for a senior ministerial post while big guns from the MDC-N, like Priscillah Misihairambwi-Mushonga, Paul Themba Nyathi and Moses Mzila Ndlovu, might get less influential cabinet or deputy ministerial posts.

While all parties have backed MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai to be the flag bearer for the coalition, there is still a major sticking point on who will become the first Vice-President if the coalition wins power in 26 days’ time. The MDC have proposed that their leader, Welshman Ncube, becomes the first Vice-President with the MDC-T’s Thokozani Khupe assuming the second Vice Presidency post. This proposal is being resisted by Khupe, who insists she has always been senior in the party to Ncube and wants the roles reversed so she has the first Vice-Presidency. Part of the deal will see the MDC-T asking Patrick Sangandira, its parliamentary candidate for Makoni central, to withdraw his candidature there so that Simba Makoni will contest against Patrick Chinamasa.

On Thursday MDC-T structures and Makoni’s team met in Rusape to map out a strategy to ensure the constituency rallies behind the MKD leader. In return, Makoni has made it public he will campaign for Tsvangirai in the Presidential race. ZANU Ndonga has already indicated they would back Tsvangirai in the pending crucial elections, with its chairman, Reketai Semwayo, last week filing his nomination papers to stand as an MP in Chipinge Central on an MDC-T ticket.