Zimbabwe: MDC to throw a big bash in Bulawayo
By Barnabas Masimba – The mainstream MDC led by Morgan Tsvangirai has announced its plans to host a big bash in Bulawayo this month end.
The bash which is meant to celebrate the party’s 13 years of existence in the tumultuous political turf has been slated for the White City Stadium on September 29.
Briefing journalists on Friday at MDC-T party offices in Bulawayo, provincial chairman Gorden Moyo said a memorable “Big Party” was in store.
“The party is going to host the 13th anniversary of the party. The party was born in 1999. It shall be turning 13 this month. The birthday party shall be held here in Bulawayo,” Moyo said.
“As a party we have deliberated on how we are going to host the anniversary.
He said his party wanted their celebrations to be like that held by the oldest ruling party in Africa, South Africa’s National African Congress (ANC) who held a successful celebration at the beginning of the year.
“We are taking a leaf from the ANC who are the oldest party in Africa and we respect them. We think they curtain raised for us. Our celebrations will reach those levels or even beyond,” said Moyo.
The big national event whose preparations are already in course will run under the theme “MDC at 13, the last mile towards real transformation.”
Moyo who is also the Minister of Parastatals and State Enterprises said the oncoming celebrations were set to be a pedestal in showing the world how strong the people’s party is against disturbing reports that it is fast losing ground.
Recently, a United States-based pro-democracy think-tank Freedom House (FH) released findings of a poll conducted by the Mass Public Opinion Institute showing that MDC-T support had declined from 38% to 20% in the past 18 months.
FH also indicated that Zanu PF’s support grew to 31% from 17% during the same period.
But the MDC-T has dismissed the findings as unsubstantiated.
“We hope we are going to have big celebrations which will put paid to some assumptions and spurious allegations about our party that it is undergoing turbulent storms which in our view those views only exist in newspapers, in the minds of charlatans and felons.
“As far as we are concerned, we are going to prove the pessimists wrong because our party shall celebrate the 13th birthday with a stupendous bang that is going to show that as a party we are ready to govern,” added Moyo.
Sources say the event is likely to be graced various foreign guests from different countries as well as some international organisations.
By bringing the 13th anniversary celebrations to the second largest city it appears the Morgan Tsvangirai led party has seen Bulawayo as its hunting ground with its congress also having been held in the same city last year.
