In a shocking revelation,Metro has established that the Mutambara faction Secretary General, Welshman Ncube is scuttling the MDC unity pact and instructed all MPs not join MDC president Morgan Tsvangirai when he visits their constituencies.

It has also emerged that some in the faction had argued that their faction should not have fielded parliamentary by-election candidates in Gwanda South, Redcliff and Pelandaba-Mpopoma against those of the MDC-Tsvangirai, because at least it was their candidates that had died.

Fletcher Dulini-Ncube the faction’s treasurer refused to release funds for the Run-off, MPs and senators told him they would use their personal resources to campaign for Tsvangirai and accused the leadership of attempting to derail Tsvangirai. Dulini Ncube lost his Magwegwe seat to MDC’s Provincial Spokesman,Felix Mafa.

MDC (Mutambara) MP for Umzingwane,right,Nomalanga Mzilikazi Khumalo joins Tsvangirai at Esigodini.

“There are a few senior individuals in the party who are pushing a Zanu-PF agenda and it is now clear who those are,” one of the legislators said. “They are doing everything in their powers to destroy Tsvangirai. It is not our fault that they have differences with him, but we just want Mugabe out of power.”

The legislators said it emerged this week that there were members of the Mutambara executive who were against the party’s resolution to support and campaign for Tsvangirai against Mugabe in the run-off.

Another MPs alleged that the party leaders in particular Welshman Ncube and Paul Themba Nyathi were bitter after losing the March 29 parliamentary election to the MDC-Tsvangirai candidates.

“There are some former legislators who are still bitter and just last weekend Welshman Ncube addressed a provincial assembly meeting and said he will cause by-elections to take place in areas where the MPs and senators are campaigning for Tsvangirai,” another lawmaker said. “We are saying we do not care if he calls for the by-elections. We will campaign for Tsvangirai against Mugabe.”

Last Friday, the Mutambara faction leadership scheduled a meeting at the same time as Tsvangirai’s address to elected MDC parliamentarians,However some legislators boycotted the meeting and instead travelled to Harare to attend the event at HICC.

However MDC National Chairman Lovemore Moyo,MDC-Matobo South.,played down the rift,telling Metro,

“We have been working together as you know that,we have an agreement in place,a coalition agreement between ourselves and our erstwhile colleagues,and we are therefore involved in joint campaigns with them we have been working with them, since we started our Matebeland presidential campaign trail,as I speak today we went with colleagues from the other side.”

Contact the writer of this story,Philip at bulawayo@metrozimbabwe.com