Staff ReporterMDC Alliance spokesperson Welshman Ncube has denied plans to join forces with former President Robert Mugabe and the National Patriotic Front (NPF) in attempts to unseat incumbent leader Emmerson Mnangagwa in the July 30 elections.
This comes after a faction of the newly formed NPF which has Mugabe’s backing has landed support to the Nelson Chamisa led opposition front.
“We do not know the extent to which Robert Mugabe is or is not behind the NPF. We read in the press that he might be the godfather or the motivator. We have no desire whatsoever to be associated with the terrible rule of Robert Mugabe. Make that clear,” Ncube told NewZimbabwe.com on the sidelines of an MDC Alliance manifesto launch on Thursday.
Zimbabwe’s strongman was ousted November last year in a popular military coup, ending 37 years of uninterrupted rule.
He resurfaced earlier this year backing NPF which is fronted by ex-minister Ambrose Mutinhiri with warnings the fledgling opposition risked running into a credibility crisis if it continued branding around the unpopular figure of the former President.
However, the sight of some former Mugabe allies in Shadreck Mashayamombe and Jim Kunaka at an MDC Alliance march last week gave rise to the belief the MDC could be falling into the temptation of jumping into bed with their one time tormentor.
Ncube denied any formal talks with both Mugabe and NPF but said they were ready to welcome any additional support towards dismantling Mnangagwa’s “junta”.
“All we are saying is that there is a common minimum denominator that ‘do you want an end to quasi-military rule; are you prepared to vote for our candidate in order to assist us to remove that junta from power?’ If your answer is yes, we say please work with is to that limited extent.
“There has been no discussion on border policy issues with NPF. We do not necessarily know what they stand for but there is only that minimum common denominator that we are talking about.”
However, NPF imploded Friday with a faction led by ex-Bulawayo provincial governor Eunice Sandi Moyo saying they were in talks with the MDC Alliance. – NewsZim
