Dakarai Tembo

MDC leader, Nelson Chamisa, has taken aim at that party’s Deputy National Chairperson, Job Sikhala, over his Bikita rally utterances describing them as ‘treasonous, reckless and uncalled for’ in a high level meeting at Richard Morgan Tsvangirai House on Tuesday.

A highly placed MDC source intimated to this publication that Chamisa had no kind words for Sikhala when he addressed the meeting which was attended by that party’s 30 Members of Parliament and Councilors.

Chamisa is said to have accused Sikhala of unnecessarily attracting the attention of the State security agents before ordering his lieutenants to stick to the ‘legitimacy mantra’ whenever they feel like attacking President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

The source added that “in essence, Chamisa commended Luke Tamborinyoka (Deputy Secretary for Information) for a quick response which distanced the party from the Sikhala statement.”

The member of the MDC National Council also indicated that Chamisa is playing factional politics by moving to throw Sikhala under the bus because the ‘motor mouth’ legislator subscribes to the MDC Vice President, Tendai Biti’s faction. According to the source, members of the Biti faction were conspicuous by their absence at the meeting, a development that was to further incense Chamisa.

“The absence of Biti’s confidants at the meeting infuriated Chamisa who constantly banged the desk when he introduced a regime of penalties for those who would be found wanting for bunking the party’s meetings. Those who will absent themselves from future meetings will part ways with US$120; while those who would excuse themselves will fork out US$60; as late comers pay US$30” revealed the source.

 The wild tag of war between Chamisa and Biti is also said to be affecting the planning and execution of the much touted pending demonstrations as the opposition leader is gravitating towards dialogue as per directions of his Western handlers against the calls to take to the streets by that party’s hardliners and grassroots.

According to the source, Chamisa is struggling to balance the pressure from the West and his party supporters and was only left with a choice of subtly encouraging them to take to the streets and not wait for his signal. Chamisa reportedly posited that “revolutions do not need signals, great leaders stop rather than start wars.”