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Tsvangirai has failed as a leader, says Biti

by Staff reporter
26 Apr 2014 at 20:10hrs | Views
Tendai Biti addresses a press conference in Harare this afternoon where he announced the suspension of other MDC-T officials, among them, their party president Morgan Tsvangirai. Picture: Annie Mpalume
The Movement for Democratic Change [MDC-T] faction said it suspended former prime minister Tsvangirai, his deputy Thokozani Khupe, chairperson Lovemore Moyo and four other senior party officials. 
MDC-T secretary general Tendai Biti who has, since the break of the MDC-T leadership fall-out remained in the background, save for tacit support for Mangoma after the latter's violent assault, read out the resolution.
Biti said Tsvangirai, who has been at the helm of the party for the last 15 years will be charged with violation of the party's constitution as well as bringing the party into disrepute.
"Dear leader Morgan Tsvangirai has failed as a leader, is now clearly unsuitable, has failed and we now do not recognise him as a member of either the national standing committee or any other organ of the party. We as the democratic group with the MDC have resolved to use our constitutional right and dis-associate ourselves from this group," Biti told journalists at a media briefing amid applause from delegates.
"The party that we helped form has been hijacked by a dangerous fascist clique and we draw a line against the use of violence, abuse of power, massive purges, and the use of parrallel structures, vigilantes and the kitchen cabinet".
"We feel these people have betrayed the struggle," he said. 
"We will rebuild our party from the current ashes."
Biti was also mandated with writing to parliament notifying the speaker Jacob Mudenda that "no parliamentarian or councillor would be fired unless there is in the constitution of the MDC a clause that calls for recall.
"The will of the povo that voted in these officials shall remain supreme up to the end of their terms," Biti said.
In a move that seemed to detach the group from the original MDC-T, Biti said; "We recognise the country's liberators and believe that it should not be segmented because those that clothed and fed the nationalists are also our liberators.
"We only have a problem with the liberation movement because it has been hijacked by a parasitic elite and ours is a continuation of the unfinished business of the liberation struggle."
Problems in the MDC-T began soon after the opposition's humiliating electoral loss last July when calls for Tsvangirai's removal grew.
Mangoma torched a storm early this year when he wrote two damning letters calling for Tsvangirai to resign and pave way for an elective congress. Chaos ensued leading to the former Energy Minister's suspension and ultimate expulsion.

Source - Byo24News