MDC-T Vice President, Thokozani Khupe, is reportedly engaged in talks with Presidential aspirant, Nkosana Moyo, who recently launched his Alliance for People’s Agenda (APA) to challenge President Robert Mugabe.
Khupe, assaulted by suspected MDC-T youths in Bulawayo for calling for a meeting to discuss the MDC Alliance, reportedly met with Moyo at a hotel in Rosebank, Johannesburg this Thursday.
Khupe was reportedly in the company of disgruntled MDC-T leaders, Lovemore Moyo as well as Organizing Secretary, Abednico Bhebhe, Ruth Labode, David Chimhini and MDC-T Women’s League boss, Lynette Karenyi and Lwazi Sibanda among others.
Sibanda allegedly called MDC-T leader, Morgan Tsvangirai on Thursday ostensibly to alert him of Khupe’s trip to South Africa.
“Khupe and her people’s meeting were in Rosebank yesterday (Thursday) from 11 and other people who attended include Phugeni, Chief Ndlovu and Giyani,” said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The source said there were other senior officials who were behind Khupe and her team from Matabeleland, while others were “still sitting on the fence”.
Moyo, however, denied ever meeting with Khupe saying he was nowhere near Rosebank on Thursday afternoon as alleged.
“Please take it from me, that information is not correct. Yesterday I was in my office in Hyde Park for about half an hour then went to Linksfield hospital to see my sister, then off to the airport. I did not go anywhere near Rosebank,” he said.
He added; “Your information is very wrong. Sounds to me like someone might have added one and one and getting three! Could it be that the people you name have been in SA and someone has assumed if they are, then they must be meeting with us”.
Moyo, however, had earlier said that he was in Mutare and had travelled to Cape Town, noting that he always engaged Zimbabweans.
“We, however, continually talk to Zimbabweans generally with a view to finding common cause.”
Asked whether he had, during the course of the week, met with Khupe or any of her lieutenants, Moyo had this to say; “I am not going to tell you who I met or did not meet. Take it from me, your information is wrong. If you are determined to make a story, go on and embarrass yourself.”
On whether he would accept to be in an alliance with Khupe and others, he said: “We would listen to what they, like any other Zimbabwean, have to say.”
Sibanda denied ever having attended any meeting with Moyo saying no one had ever gone to South Africa although she was the one who called Tsvangirai telling him of Khupe’s intended trip.
“It is a blue lie. I never went to South Africa; nobody ever went to South Africa,” she said.
Moyo said he had already started campaigning in earnest but was doing it differently from other political parties.
“We are doing that already (campaigning) but not in the way you are used to,” he said without elaborating.
Khupe and Hwende were not immediately available for comment.
A number of MDC-T officials, especially those from the three Matabeleland provinces, were not happy with the MDC Alliance signed Saturday between the MDC-T and former Secretary Generals, Tendai Biti and Welshman Ncube, who now lead the PDP and MDC-N respectively along with other smaller formations.
Khupe has always argued that the MDC-T did not need partners in Matabeleland, arguing there was no gap, insisting the party should find partners in the northern and eastern parts of the country where the party has lost to Zanu PF in previous elections. – NewsZim
