The Insider

The Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions was out of its depth after its failed stay-aways and the failed “Final Push” by the Movement for Democratic Change and was looking up to COSATU to take up its cause.

(33 VIEWS)

A delegation of 13 members of the Congress of South African Trade Unions which had come to Zimbabwe on a fact-finding mission despite warning by the government that it was not welcome were deported after being held for several hours according to Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions vice-President Lucia Matibenga.

(43 VIEWS)

Labour activists were gaining courage to confront the government more because the eyes of the world were watching rather than that they could mobilise the people as they seemed to have little support in the absence of the leadership of the labour movement.

(43 VIEWS)

The Movement for Democratic Change was ecstatic when it won the Speaker of Parliament post giving it control of the House of Assembly prompting the United States embassy in Harare to comment that Mugabe had been shocked and humiliated by the MDC twice in two days.

(45 VIEWS)

Members of Parliament from the Arthur Mutambara faction of the Movement for Democratic Change were ready to ditch their candidate for Speaker of Parliament Paul Themba Nyathi more than a week before the elections because their leader had become too close to the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front.

(67 VIEWS)

Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai told members of the Southern African Development Community Troika in Sandton Johannesburg that he was not prepared to play second fiddle to President Robert Mugabe but would instead like to become President with Mugabe as Prime Minister.

(95 VIEWS)

Talks between the Zimbabwe African national Union-Patriotic Front and the Movement for Democratic Change broke down in August 2008 after MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai insisted that he should be head of government and ZANU-PF leader Robert Mugabe wanted to retain power over the security forces and Foreign Ministry.

(60 VIEWS)

Movement for Democratic Change advisors who met a United States congressional delegation on 3 July 2008, a week after Zimbabwe African National Union- Patriotic Front leader Robert Mugabe had been sworn in as President, insisted that a transitional authority, and not a government of national unity, was the way forward.

(80 VIEWS)

Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai told United States embassy officials that South African President Thabo Mbeki, President Robert Mugabe and the leader of the smaller faction of the MDC Arthur Mutambara had ganged up against him during the negotiations for a settlement.

(46 VIEWS)