By Tendai Matunhu

MDC Vice President and darling of the West, Tendai Biti is gaining more popularity over his boss, Nelson Chamisa, as the battle for control of that party intensifies, Harare Post has learnt.

A reliable source within the MDC has revealed to this publication that Chamisa is worried about the popularity Biti is getting within party structures. An increasingly paranoid Chamisa is worried by Biti’s popularity which he believes is threatening to undermine Chamisa’s popularity.

According to the source, Chamisa is not happy about how Biti is slowly becoming more popular than him, especially in Harare province.

“Harare Provincial Structures had a meeting recently at Morgan Richard Tsvangirai House, which was meant to mobilise party members for the 16 August demonstration. Biti arrived late when Chamisa had already arrived and received a standing ovation.

“Chamisa got worried by the way Biti had been received and the recognition he was getting. It was written all over Chamisa’s face. Some things cannot be hidden,” he said.

According to a political analyst, Virgina Negondo, Biti is vying for the leadership post in the opposition party, and Chamisa if not careful, might lose the leadership to Biti.

“Biti has been eyeing the leadership post for quite some time. He has been seeing himself as the MDC leader in Parliament by virtue of winning the Harare East parliamentary seat. Chamisa has lost trust in everyone in his party because he thinks everyone is trying to plot against him.

“Biti is well known to be the darling of the West, especially when it comes to leading the opposition, whilst Chamisa is trying by all means to gain the support of London. Biti is the opposite of Chamisa who is childish and a coward whilst Biti on the other hand is seen as being rationale,” she said.

The popularity Biti is gaining is causing more friction within the party as it is sowing seeds of division and mistrust, thereby fomenting and perpetuating factionalism.