'A dangerous fool is one who does not know he is a fool,' says Biti

MDC-T secretary-general and former Finance minister  Tendai Biti says Zimbabweans have lost valuable time invested in MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai who he said, "failed us all dismally".

"We have behaved like mentally deranged people for 15 years doing the same thing over and over again and Tsvangirai has cried electoral theft every moment. I do not agree with (President Robert) Mugabe on almost everything, but I do agree with him that a dangerous fool is one who does not know that they are a fool," said Biti.

He said the democratic struggle in Zimbabwe needed renewal.

"Ten months after the elections in July last year, the MDC-T has no plan to take Zimbabwe out of the mire. Our differences with the president (Tsvangirai) and those around him is that they have deviated from democratic principles, usurped the party constitution and resorted to violence," Biti added.

Biti says he is transforming the renewal team into a fully-fledged party after realising that the Morgan Tsvangirai-led opposition was tired and had failed the democratic struggle to the extent that it needed replacement.

Addressing a provincial consultative meeting in Masvingo town, attended by 12 district representatives on Sunday, Biti said the party would be a "Pan-Africanist movement". He said Zimbabwe needed a new narrative and a democratic struggle rejuvenation.

"There is no going back. We will form our own party with its own value system, colours and  constitution before we go into a grand coalition," Biti said to an applause.

"We are brought together by a new value system of love, justice and solidarity. We want to de-personalise the struggle. Some people claim to have single-handedly formed the MDC as if they were alone at Rufaro Stadium in 1999."

Along with party deputy treasurer general Elton Mangoma,  Biti is now fronting a faction of the MDC-T calling for Tsvangirai's removal.

Problems for the former prime minister began after the electoral loss to Mugabe last year with top leaders calling for an early congress to renew the party's leadership.

However, things reached fever pitch in January this year when Mangoma penned a hard hitting letter in which he asked Tsvangirai to step-aside and allow for an elective congress.

In response, Tsvangirai called on the support of the party's grassroots by convening a meeting of the MDC-T's 210 district chairpersons that turned ugly with the physical attack on Mangoma and youth secretary general Promise Mkwananzi.