News / National
Tendai Biti plots splinter party
09 Mar 2014 at 20:52hrs | Views
Speculation is mounting that Tendai Biti, Secretary General of the MDC-T, could soon lead a breakaway party following a recent visit to South Africa, The Zimbabwean reported.
The Zimbabwean said it is reliably informed that Biti flew to Johannesburg on Friday in the company of Arnold Tsunga, a party heavyweight from Manicaland and a Harare-based ambassador (name withheld) to meet treasurer Roy Bennett and other top party members.
Sources say the formation of a splinter party, to be called the Progressive Democratic Movement in Zimbabwe (PDMZ), is on the cards as calls for leadership renewal mount. Details of the meeting are not yet available. Calls to Biti and Tsunga went unanswered while Bennett did not respond to questions sent via his Skype account. According to a source from party president Morgan Tsvangirai's security department, the group that met in South Africa holds the keys to party finances.
"This group was in charge of party money and will go with it. Right now, there are no funds to cover operational costs and other programmes as the faction (opposed to Tsvangirai) has blocked donors from giving him money. Instead, they are the ones that will get all the funding," said the source.
He claimed that the group had deliberately underfunded the party's campaign ahead of the 2013 general elections as a way of undermining Tsvangirai.
The MDC, formed in 1999, has already suffered two splits. In 2005, Welshman Ncube led a splinter group following squabbles over the reintroduction of the Senate, while Job Sikhala subsequently broke away accusing Tsvangirai of dictatorship.
Before his visit, Biti said that he was not comfortable talking about succession in his party as "too many dangerous things" were happening.
"Mhepo dzakawandisa mazuva ano (There are too many bad omens in the party the days). I will talk on anything but succession; I don't want to divide the party. What you say can easily be misinterpreted," Biti said.
A few days later his Umwinsdale home was petrol bombed by unknown assailants.
A few weeks ago he had to scurry for cover after a Harare meeting when youths reportedly aligned to Tsvangirai bayed for his blood. He escaped in the party boss's car but Mangoma, Bennett's deputy who had previously written a letter encouraging Tsvangirai to step aside and allow for leadership renewal, was beaten up.
The Zimbabwean said it is reliably informed that Biti flew to Johannesburg on Friday in the company of Arnold Tsunga, a party heavyweight from Manicaland and a Harare-based ambassador (name withheld) to meet treasurer Roy Bennett and other top party members.
Sources say the formation of a splinter party, to be called the Progressive Democratic Movement in Zimbabwe (PDMZ), is on the cards as calls for leadership renewal mount. Details of the meeting are not yet available. Calls to Biti and Tsunga went unanswered while Bennett did not respond to questions sent via his Skype account. According to a source from party president Morgan Tsvangirai's security department, the group that met in South Africa holds the keys to party finances.
"This group was in charge of party money and will go with it. Right now, there are no funds to cover operational costs and other programmes as the faction (opposed to Tsvangirai) has blocked donors from giving him money. Instead, they are the ones that will get all the funding," said the source.
He claimed that the group had deliberately underfunded the party's campaign ahead of the 2013 general elections as a way of undermining Tsvangirai.
Before his visit, Biti said that he was not comfortable talking about succession in his party as "too many dangerous things" were happening.
"Mhepo dzakawandisa mazuva ano (There are too many bad omens in the party the days). I will talk on anything but succession; I don't want to divide the party. What you say can easily be misinterpreted," Biti said.
A few days later his Umwinsdale home was petrol bombed by unknown assailants.
A few weeks ago he had to scurry for cover after a Harare meeting when youths reportedly aligned to Tsvangirai bayed for his blood. He escaped in the party boss's car but Mangoma, Bennett's deputy who had previously written a letter encouraging Tsvangirai to step aside and allow for leadership renewal, was beaten up.
Source - zimbabwean
