Mlondolozi Ndlovu
With human rights activists and political analysts blaming the ruling party ZANU PF for the callous demolitions in Zimbabwe’s capital city, Harare, a leader of an opposition party feels the MDC led by Morgan Tsvangirai is equally to blame for this menace.
Renewal Democrats of Zimbabwe (RDZ) leader Elton Mangoma revealed this while addressing journalists in Harare on Wednesday.
The city of Harare recently witnessed the demolition of houses built in undesignated areas.
Most of the residents whose houses have been demolished got their land from the land barons who are mostly linked to the ruling ZANU PF party.
However, former Energy Minister and leader of the opposition Renewal Democrats of Zimbabwe has revealed that the MDC- T led council is partly to blame for the demolitions.
“ The MDC-T should grow up and not be cry babies. It is them who are at the fore front of these demolitions, just like they were at the fore front of the chasing away of vendors” said Mangoma.
Mangoma further revealed that instead of the MDC-T complaining they should know that they are worse than ZANU PF.
“They are if not worse than ZANU PF actually because ZANU PF has been talking and they have been doing. Lets hear the conflict if its there” he said
Mangoma also revealed that his party would soon be assisting the victims of the demolitions in line with his party’s policy of reparations.
“We are talking to the city fathers so that they realize that when we are not condemning them in public we want to engage them and come up with a way forward” he said.
But the MDC- T spokesperson Obert Gutu denied the allegations noting that the MDC-T had no access to state power, singling the Harare airport houses demolition as being sanctioned by the state President.
“ We are a party that upholds democracy and we have stated that the demolitions were unlawful and unconstitutional. I respect Mr Mangoma but what he is saying is not true” Gutu said further stating that the MDC-T councilors are subordinate to government authority and could not stand the full might of the state security.