Jasper Hloka

Daggers have been drawn out at the MDC’s elective congress following fallout between that party’s leader, Nelson Chamisa and his outgoing Deputy National Chairperson, Tendai Biti, amid indications of growing mistrust.

A source privy to the developments told the Harare Post that Biti has been creating a clique around himself comprising former MDC Renewal members who had been accommodated into the mainstream MDC. The highly placed source added that Biti indicated to his confidants that Chamisa was “too young” and “immature” to lead the MDC ahead of him.

On another hand, Chamisa is said to be suspicious of Biti whom he regards as “ambitious,” prompting him to attempt to engineer the defeat of the vocal outgoing Deputy National Chairperson at the congress.

Furnishing on Chamisa’s efforts to pin down Biti, the MDC source revealed that “Amos Chibaya (Organising Secretary) bussed 100 MDC supporters who masqueraded as delegates and allowed them to vote for Chamisa’s preferred candidates. Chamisa went on to delay addressing delegates at the congress in order to delay the voting process so that he buys time to re-strategise.”

Chamisa was to further feel the heat after Lovemore Chinoputsa lost to Biti’s lieutenant, Obey Sithole. Shocked by the loss and Biti’s growing influence, Chamisa is said to be making last minute reconciliation efforts with the beleaguered outgoing Secretary General, Douglas Mwonzora.

The source added that Chamisa realised that he needed Mwonzora’s legal acumen to stall Biti’s glory train. In that regard, he nicodemously asked winning Secretary General, Charlton Hwende, to step aside for Mwonzora, a move he rejected. According to the source, overtures by Chamisa pushed Hwende to cross floors and join the Biti clique.

Chamisa’s woes, however, do not come as a surprise as revelations continue to emerge showing that Biti had received US$50 000 from the US Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) to oil his campaign ahead of the congress.

Political commentators who spoke to this publication gave out that as it stands, Biti emerges as the winner and the development goes on to signal that he is indeed the west’s preferred candidate. Everson Mupereri said that “if anything the Biti emerges victorious as he skipped Chamisa planted hurdles to pin him down. After the formation of the MDC Alliance, Chamisa did not make his dislike for Biti a secret when he only made him a Deputy National Chairperson at a time everyone thought he would land a better post. Biti’s lieutenants have, however, won most of the strategic positions in the MDC.”