ONE of the opposition MDC party\u2019s founding members Esaph Mdlongwa has died.<\/p>\n
Mdlongwa, who was in his 70s, was the opposition party\u2019s first national organising secretary in 1999 and also served as Pumula-Luveve MP, died at Bulawayo\u2019s Mater Dei Hospital on Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Sources said Mdlongwa, the father of the popular South Africa-based musician Oskido had a long battle with diabetes, but family members said he succumbed to COVID-19 complications.<\/p>\n
Former MDC Bulawayo senator Rita Ndlovu said she worked with Mdlongwa at the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions before the formation of the MDC.<\/p>\n
Burial arrangements are yet to be announced as his son Oscar is still expected to arrive from South Africa.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, several MDC members described Mdlongwa\u2019s death as a huge loss to the party and country at large.<\/p>\n
MDC Alliance Bulawayo spokesperson Swithern Chirowodza said it was sad that Mdlongwa passed on before the country has achieved real democracy.<\/p>\n
Bulawayo mayor Solomon Madlala Mguni described him as the father of democratic movement.<\/p>\n
Priscillah Misihairabwi-Mushonga said Mdlongwa was a \u201cmobiliser par excellence, and a thoroughly good man with no evil bone in his body\u201d.<\/p>\n
Former MDC Alliance senator Gideon Shoko said Mdlongwa was involved in trade unionism the better part of his working life and only left trade unionism in 2001 after being elected MP.
\nWhen the MDC was formed in 1999, it drew most of its top leadership from the trade union and student movements.<\/p>\n
Only four of the party\u2019s first top 10 \u2014 Morgan Tsvangirai (president), Gibson Sibanda (vice-president), Welshman Ncube (secretary-general), Gift Chimanikire (deputy secretary-general), Mdlongwa (organising secretary), Isaac Matongo (chairman), Fletcher Dulini Ncube (treasurer-general), Lucia Matibenga (women\u2019s assembly), Learnmore Jongwe (spokesperson) and Nelson Chamisa (youth assembly) \u2014 are still alive.<\/p>\n
The party\u2019s surviving founders are Ncube, Chamisa, Matibenga and Chimanikire.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ONE of the opposition MDC party\u2019s founding members Esaph Mdlongwa has died. Mdlongwa, who was in his 70s, was the opposition party\u2019s first national organising secretary in 1999 and also served as Pumula-Luveve MP, died at Bulawayo\u2019s Mater Dei Hospital on Wednesday. Sources said Mdlongwa, the father of the popular South Africa-based musician Oskido had […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":25978,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,10],"tags":[113,88],"class_list":{"0":"post-28988","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-all-news","8":"category-parties","9":"tag-chamisa","10":"tag-mdc"},"yoast_head":"\n