News / National
Tendai Biti discloses Zanu-PF links, claims Daily News
06 Jun 2014 at 10:38hrs | Views
Expelled MDC secretary-general Tendai Biti has revealed working with top Zanu-PF officials, war veterans, nationalists and some unnamed rich and powerful nations in his bid to politically bury his ally-turned foe Morgan Tsvangirai.
The Daily News says it is in possession of a 58-minute-long audio recording, in which the former Finance minister, who is fronting the MDC Renewal Team, literally dangles a carrot to the MDC structures to back his project as he moves to form his own party.
In the stunning audio recorded in Dzivaresekwa in May during a meeting with his Renewal Project structures, Biti claims his pockets are deep enough to finance the project since he has the backing of foreigners.
In the recording, Biti says he is closely working in cahoots with some very senior officials in Zanu-PF.
"Chechipiri vanamai munoziva kuti tirikuita mameetings anotyisa nevamwe vanhu vandisingagoni kutaura pano apa, pamwe murikunzwa muma newspapers kuti pane zvirikuitika (The second thing that I would like to tell you is that we are having meetings with people whose names I cannot mention here."
"...some of the people fought during the liberation war when some of us were not even born, but today we are sitting together, saying are these the people we were frightened of.")
Yesterday, Biti refused to comment on the matter saying, "party issues and those of properties will be discussed in due course."
In the past Biti has denied colluding with Zanu-PF to dislodge Tsvangirai and make sure he does not participate in the 2018 elections.
The combative politician has reportedly been working with Zanu-PF and Western donors, who want Tsvangirai out for different reasons. Zanu-PF do not want to take the risk of contesting Tsvangirai in the 2018 elections arguing that because of his popularity among the grassroots supporters, he might thrash them in the polls.
The donors claim to be fed up with Tsvangirai saying his love for women had damaged his reputation and having lost to Mugabe three times in the elections, they say he has nothing new to offer.
A dossier released to the Daily News in April also reveals in stunning detail how MDC rebels hatched a plan with some Zanu-PF functionaries in 2012 to stymie Tsvangirai's chances of winning elections.
Central to the strategy was financial sabotage, diversions of funds as well as political espionage.
Elton Mangoma, a key member of Biti's Renewal Team, however, dismissed the dossier and wants to sue the Daily News for the exposure.
Biti's recorded remarks, have however, further exposed the Renewal Team's machinations as they reach out to Western donors and Zanu-PF for support and legitimacy.
Revealing his project's strategies, Biti said the International community had promised in 2012, that it would inject $4 billion into the Zimbabwean economy - on condition that Mugabe and Tsvangirai, who were in a coalition government, held free and fair elections.
He said he can still unlock the $4 billion and resuscitate the economy if his political project gains traction.
Biti told the meeting that the West was fully behind his splinter group.
He said the West is ready to channel resources through his party in order to sustain a caretaker government, which is inevitable due to the biting economic crisis. Ironically, Biti yesterday addressed a press conference where he called for the setting up of a caretaker government.
"Kune kwandakaendeswa kune imwe embassy ikoko takaita inonzi satellite video conference kuti munhu akagara kuNew York uyu akagara kunoku asi munoita kunge zvatakaita panapa, zvikanzi munenge muri right, mari iyaya ichiriko, saka isu tozobetserawo caretaker government kuti iwane mari vana vowana mabasa, because kumirira kuti tongai tiwone tichi suffer hazvina musoro. (I visited one of the embassies and had a video conference. They told me that the money is still there and we want to use it to help the caretaker government to create employment because to stand aside does not make sense.)
"We need to move this economy. Isusu tirikuti (we are saying) there should be a $4 billion dollar injection of money into this economy and mari yacho tinoiwana. (we will get the money).
Biti and Tsvangirai fell out after the party's dismal loss to Zanu-PF in last year's general elections - and formerly parted ways in April this year.
Showing that there is no love lost between him and Tsvangirai, Biti said he is going to match Tsvangirai pound for pound by setting up parallel structures across the country.
"Way forward vanamai, zvishoma nezvishoma tirikuuumba chinhu chete. Mastructure aitwe pana chairman waGumbura (Tsvangirai) ngakuiswe chairman wedu handitika, kunasecretary waGumbura ngakuiswe wedu tiite macomplete structures, from branch, to ward to district to province," Biti said. (We need to set up structures. Where Tsvangirai has a chairman, we will deploy ours and where he has a secretary, we must also have our own.)
He added that he met with some of the African ambassadors assigned to Zimbabwe and they warmed up to his project.
"Tasangana nevanhu veku Tanzania, Botswana, Ghana, DRC and South Africa vakati vakomana nevasikana maita basa magona maziva kuti rukuvhute rwenyu rwuri muno," Biti said. (We met ambassadors from Tanzania, Botswana, DRC, Ghana and South Africa who all said we had all done well to form our own group.)
"Handisi kukunyeperai izvozvi titori pamberi we have met the ANC and we are done with them. They have told me kuti vanozondiendesa kuna number one mbune (South African President Jacob Zuma.) (I am telling the truth. We met the ANC and they promised to take us to their president ( Jacob Zuma).
"Ndichangotsvagawo chibhodhoro changu che whisky ndoti makorokoto president but nyaya yangu ndeiyi. Ma Zimbabweans tiri tega. (We will buy the president (Zuma) a bottle of whiskey and say please help us).
The Daily News says it is in possession of a 58-minute-long audio recording, in which the former Finance minister, who is fronting the MDC Renewal Team, literally dangles a carrot to the MDC structures to back his project as he moves to form his own party.
In the stunning audio recorded in Dzivaresekwa in May during a meeting with his Renewal Project structures, Biti claims his pockets are deep enough to finance the project since he has the backing of foreigners.
In the recording, Biti says he is closely working in cahoots with some very senior officials in Zanu-PF.
"Chechipiri vanamai munoziva kuti tirikuita mameetings anotyisa nevamwe vanhu vandisingagoni kutaura pano apa, pamwe murikunzwa muma newspapers kuti pane zvirikuitika (The second thing that I would like to tell you is that we are having meetings with people whose names I cannot mention here."
"...some of the people fought during the liberation war when some of us were not even born, but today we are sitting together, saying are these the people we were frightened of.")
Yesterday, Biti refused to comment on the matter saying, "party issues and those of properties will be discussed in due course."
In the past Biti has denied colluding with Zanu-PF to dislodge Tsvangirai and make sure he does not participate in the 2018 elections.
The combative politician has reportedly been working with Zanu-PF and Western donors, who want Tsvangirai out for different reasons. Zanu-PF do not want to take the risk of contesting Tsvangirai in the 2018 elections arguing that because of his popularity among the grassroots supporters, he might thrash them in the polls.
The donors claim to be fed up with Tsvangirai saying his love for women had damaged his reputation and having lost to Mugabe three times in the elections, they say he has nothing new to offer.
A dossier released to the Daily News in April also reveals in stunning detail how MDC rebels hatched a plan with some Zanu-PF functionaries in 2012 to stymie Tsvangirai's chances of winning elections.
Central to the strategy was financial sabotage, diversions of funds as well as political espionage.
Elton Mangoma, a key member of Biti's Renewal Team, however, dismissed the dossier and wants to sue the Daily News for the exposure.
Biti's recorded remarks, have however, further exposed the Renewal Team's machinations as they reach out to Western donors and Zanu-PF for support and legitimacy.
Revealing his project's strategies, Biti said the International community had promised in 2012, that it would inject $4 billion into the Zimbabwean economy - on condition that Mugabe and Tsvangirai, who were in a coalition government, held free and fair elections.
He said he can still unlock the $4 billion and resuscitate the economy if his political project gains traction.
Biti told the meeting that the West was fully behind his splinter group.
He said the West is ready to channel resources through his party in order to sustain a caretaker government, which is inevitable due to the biting economic crisis. Ironically, Biti yesterday addressed a press conference where he called for the setting up of a caretaker government.
"Kune kwandakaendeswa kune imwe embassy ikoko takaita inonzi satellite video conference kuti munhu akagara kuNew York uyu akagara kunoku asi munoita kunge zvatakaita panapa, zvikanzi munenge muri right, mari iyaya ichiriko, saka isu tozobetserawo caretaker government kuti iwane mari vana vowana mabasa, because kumirira kuti tongai tiwone tichi suffer hazvina musoro. (I visited one of the embassies and had a video conference. They told me that the money is still there and we want to use it to help the caretaker government to create employment because to stand aside does not make sense.)
"We need to move this economy. Isusu tirikuti (we are saying) there should be a $4 billion dollar injection of money into this economy and mari yacho tinoiwana. (we will get the money).
Biti and Tsvangirai fell out after the party's dismal loss to Zanu-PF in last year's general elections - and formerly parted ways in April this year.
Showing that there is no love lost between him and Tsvangirai, Biti said he is going to match Tsvangirai pound for pound by setting up parallel structures across the country.
"Way forward vanamai, zvishoma nezvishoma tirikuuumba chinhu chete. Mastructure aitwe pana chairman waGumbura (Tsvangirai) ngakuiswe chairman wedu handitika, kunasecretary waGumbura ngakuiswe wedu tiite macomplete structures, from branch, to ward to district to province," Biti said. (We need to set up structures. Where Tsvangirai has a chairman, we will deploy ours and where he has a secretary, we must also have our own.)
He added that he met with some of the African ambassadors assigned to Zimbabwe and they warmed up to his project.
"Tasangana nevanhu veku Tanzania, Botswana, Ghana, DRC and South Africa vakati vakomana nevasikana maita basa magona maziva kuti rukuvhute rwenyu rwuri muno," Biti said. (We met ambassadors from Tanzania, Botswana, DRC, Ghana and South Africa who all said we had all done well to form our own group.)
"Handisi kukunyeperai izvozvi titori pamberi we have met the ANC and we are done with them. They have told me kuti vanozondiendesa kuna number one mbune (South African President Jacob Zuma.) (I am telling the truth. We met the ANC and they promised to take us to their president ( Jacob Zuma).
"Ndichangotsvagawo chibhodhoro changu che whisky ndoti makorokoto president but nyaya yangu ndeiyi. Ma Zimbabweans tiri tega. (We will buy the president (Zuma) a bottle of whiskey and say please help us).
Source - dailynews
