Sipepa wants full house for UMDC launch

MDC-RENEWAL chairman Samuel Sipepa Nkomo says a number of political careers, mostly of senior party members, are at risk if they fail to fill White City Stadium during a joint rally with coalition partners MDC.

MDC-RENEWAL chairman Samuel Sipepa Nkomo says a number of political careers, mostly of senior party members, are at risk if they fail to fill White City Stadium during a joint rally with coalition partners MDC.

Chief Reporter

On Sunday, Nkomo told party members in Bulawayo that it was strategic to have a capacity crowd at White City in March when MDC-Renewal and MDC have what they describe as their second launch.

“On March 1, we have a big rally here in Bulawayo, which will be held jointly with MDC Green, the Welshman Ncube group,” he said.

“The organising department will have to work extra hard in conjunction with MDC to make sure that White City Stadium is filled to capacity.”

Nkomo said success in Zimbabwean politics was measured by numbers.

“If we do not fill White City to capacity our political careers would be at stake,” he said.

“Zimbabwe politics is about numbers, so we have to pack that stadium.

“I have already spoken to my friends within the Welshman (Ncube) camp and agreed on March 1.”

Nkomo said in order to fill the stadium, the parties had to embark on a massive mobilisation exercise, as Bulawayo had proved to be unpredictable political turf.

“We need resources in the form of T-shirts, flyers and to a lesser extent we need posters,” he said, adding that the newly elected provincial chairman, Amen Mpofu, had to hit the ground running.

“Once we have these, we will pack White City, we have to do this.”

The planned rally in March is billed as the second launch, after the two parties merged late last year.

The parties are now operating under the banner of United Movement for Democratic Change (UMDC).

The UMDC, in the interim, is led by Ncube and Sekai Holland until its inaugural elective congress, tentatively slated for August.

However, officials from the MDC camp yesterday said they were not aware of the planned rally.

According to the reunification roadmap, the two formations will submit lists of their respective structures to the national standing committee by February 28 2015.

A policy conference is earmarked for April, for an elective congress, which shall receive and adopt the reunification progress report and adopt the draft constitution.