The Sunday News
Munyaradzi Musiiwa Midlands Correspondent
EXPELLED MDC-T secretary-general, Mr Tendai Biti, has said he will soon announce the formation of his new party which will use orange as its colours as he has finally broken ranks with MDC-T.Speaking to MDC Renewal Team members in Gweru yesterday, Mr Biti said he would lure other parties so that they could form a grand coalition.
“I know that people have been asking a lot of questions of what will become of us in the future. Our response is we are going to form our own party and lure other political parties so that we create a grand coalition. We will use orange as our brand colours. We are exercising our right of association by dissociating ourselves from MDC-T. However, we are going to continue to be MDC Renewal Team for strategic purposes. We are also not at liberty to disclose the name of our new party,” he said.
Mr Biti also refuted allegations by some politicians that Zanu-PF was sponsoring the renewal team to fuel the split in an attempt to destroy MDC-T.
“We have heard some politicians alleging that we are being sponsored by Zanu-PF so that we destroy MDC-T. This is not the case. If there is anyone who should be linked to Zanu-PF it is Tsvangirai because he is staying in a house he got from them,” he said.
Meanwhile, former Minister of Public Service and MDC-T Member of Parliament for Kuwadzana, Ms Lucia Matibenga has joined the renewal team.
Mr Biti also told his supporters that MDC- T was left disoriented after being outsmarted by Zanu-PF in last year’s harmonised elections in which the revolutionary party won resoundingly.
He said the party lost focus while prioritising trivial issues while Zanu-PF was busy strategising.
He said MDC-T had a lot to learn from Zanu-PF.
“(Mr) Tsvangirai forgot what he was assigned to do in the inclusive Government. We wanted reforms but instead he started drinking tea with President Mugabe and chasing after women. We lost track and focus tikarohwa nezveusiku (we were outsmarted) in last year’s harmonised elections. We are still failing to figure out how Zanu-PF did it because we thought they would use violence and we were prepared for that but the elections were conducted peacefully and we were left with egg on the face. We are still failing to figure out how Zanu-PF won. We have set up a team to start strategising for the next elections,” he said.
Mr Biti said Mr Tsvangirai was now totally finished and clueless. He said Mr Tsvangirai had tarnished his own image by chasing after women.
Mr Biti reiterated that the MDC-T’s latest split was a replica of the 2005 one which gave birth to a faction led by Professor Welshman Ncube.
“We have heard that MDC-T want to force Government to hold elections in April next year. That is a dream. If I were Zanu-PF I would grant them their wish and finish them for good. (Mr) Tsvangirai is now finished. He has a self-destructing machine.
Initially he caused the split in 2005 when Mr Gibson Sibanda left the party and Professor Welshman Ncube formed his own party. Now that the party has split again, it clearly shows that he is the problem in the party.
(Mr) Tsvangirai is 65 years and most people of his age are freedom fighters. My question is if he was a true leader and fighting for the cause of the people why didn’t he join the liberation struggle to show his true love for the country,” he said.
