by Innocent Mujeri
The growing rivalry between the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) leader Nelson Chamisa and some of his senior lieutenants, came to the fore last week during the National Standing Committee meeting held at Morgan Richard Tsvangirai House (MRTH) when the unsettled Chamisa declared he can singlehandedly lead MDC after accusing some national executive members of working with ZANU PF to undermine him, Harare Post can report.
A source who spoke to this reporter on condition of anonymity said during the meeting, Chamisa was fuming and banging the table while accusing the party’s leadership of being captured by ZANU PF.
“Mukuru (Chamisa) was angry. He told us that he can single-handedly lead the party because he was the face of the MDC and that even if other leaders were removed, the party would still stand. Cobra (Chamisa) said he knew that some MDC members were working with ZANU PF to undermine him and threatened to expose the bad apples in the party,” said the source.
The same source further told this publication that Chamisa regretted forming an alliance with people who once rebelled against Morgan Tsvangirai.
This was in subtle reference toTendai Biti, Job Sikhala and Welshman Ncube who were readmitted into the MDC just before the 2018 elections.
The MDC leader is said to have alluded that challenges in the party were being caused by those who were readmitted into the party and he was contemplating to disregard the 2019 congress resolutions and reshuffle the party’s leadership.
During the MDC congress held in Gweru last year, the party resolved to readmit some members who had once rebelled against the party. The beneficiaries of this resolution included Biti, Ncube and Sikhala.
Chamisa’s threat to disregard the 2019 resolution and reshuffle the party was met with grumblings and murmuring by Biti and Sikhala who viewed Chamisa’s assertion as a direct attack on them.
According to an insider, Chamisa implored the MDC leaders to emulate ZANU PF which he said was already preparing for 2023 elections while the MDC was at each other’s throats.
“Why can’t you emulate what ZANU PF is doing. ZANU PF is already in an election mood but here we are still relaxing while wasting time fighting each other. Kana madyiwa mozoti taka rigwer (If you lose you claim that you were rigged). We must be implementing programs that will endear us to the people not fighting each other as we are currently doing,” Chamisa was quoted as saying.
The chaos and infighting in the MDC are threatening to rip the party apart as new factions continue to emerge. Since Chamisa’s controversial ascendancy to the helm of the party has been dogged by continuous infighting as the youthful leader has failed to unite the party.
It is now apparent that a new faction led by Biti and Sikhala is now angling to replace Chamisa whom they view as clueless and too soft to confront ZANU PF.
Efforts to get a comment form the MDC secretary general Chalton Hwende were fruitless as he could not answer his phone.
