Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai tries to allay split fears

HARARE

Former Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai on Thursday dismissed fears that his party is on the verge of a major split saying the disagreements over his continued leadership will be solved.

The Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has been battling internal strife after a top official wrote a letter to Mr Tsvangirai asking him to step down after losing an election against President Robert Mugabe last year.

Deputy treasurer Elton Mangoma, a former Energy minister who was assaulted by suspected Tsvangirai loyalists in Harare in February for calling for a change in leadership, was suspended last week.

The suspension was dismissed as illegal by secretary general Tendai Biti amid speculation this week that the former Finance minister would himself be fired from the party.

"The party is alive," Tsvangirai told journalists in Harare.

"There may appear to be a crisis in the cockpit, but the crisis in the cockpit will be sorted out.

"Some have mistaken the robust debate in this party as a sign of disintegration, but I want to assure you that we continue working towards achieving unity so that we become much bigger and better."

The party's treasurer Roy Bennett, who is exiled in South Africa, and other officials have made similar calls for Tsvangirai to resign after losing to Mugabe in the July 31 general elections.

Mr Tsvangirai has insisted that he will not step down before his term expires in 2016.

Seen as the most credible challenger to Mugabe's nearly 34-year hold on power, the MDC was formed in 1999 by an alliance of civic and trade union groups.

In 2006, the party split over a disagreement over whether to contest elections to chose senators.