DEFECTIONS by MDC-Alliance official and former legislators Lillian Timveos and that of Blessing Chebundo first to MDC-T then to Zanu PF have exposed Nelson Chamisa’s deficiencies in leading a once united opposition party which gave sleepless nights to the ruling party.
Chebundo rose to political stardom for beating President
Emmerson Mnangagwa twice in successive parliamentary polls — 2000 and 2005 —
for the Kwekwe Urban seat, while Timveos served as senator for the Midlands
province before being recalled from Parliament in 2020.
The duo, which was paraded by Mnangagwa at State House last
week, cited frustrations at Chamisa’s lack of policy and violent
characteristics of the MDC-Alliance.
Since Chamisa usurped leadership of the MDC-T following the
death of Morgan Tsvangirai in 2017, the party has been rocked by internecine
factional battles.
Soon after the death of Tsvangirai, who successfully guided
the MDC-T into a coalition government with Zanu PF in 2008, the party plunged
into turmoil, as the then vice-president Chamisa quickly seized control.
However, after a lengthy legal battle that nullified
Chamisa’s leadership, Douglas Mwonzora subsequently won the MDC-T elective
congress in December 2020.
Mwonzora defeated his archrival Thokozani Khupe, Elias
Mudzuri and Morgan Komichi.
The MDC-T is accused of being a Zanu PF project, has been
on the offensive, recalling legislators linked to Chamisa from Parliament. This
has further weakened the opposition while bolstering Zanu PF’s firm grip on
power. The recalling of the legislators, which was upheld by the court and
Speaker of the House of Assembly Jacob Mudenda was also seen by critics as the
further emasculation of the opposition by internal and external forces.
Though the MDC-Alliance has blamed Zanu PF for infiltrating
and destabilising its structures ahead of the 2023 general elections, critics
say the opposition is mired in deadly factional wars due to serious leadership
deficit.
Hard on the heels of the latest defections, by Timveos and
Chebundo to Zanu PF, rifts in the party widened this week after key officials
were barred from a WhatsApp group administered by secretary general Charlton
Hwende.
MDC-Alliance chairperson Thabitha Khumalo and her deputy
Job Sikhala were booted out of the social media group.
Stephen Chan, a professor of world politics at the
University of London, opined that the defections rocking MDC-Alliance and
squabbles within the opposition were indicative of Chamisa’s failure to
galvanise the party.
“There is discontent within Chamisa’s MDC. These internal
tensions have been there for some time, and Chamisa has not demonstrated a
nationally-visible dynamism for some time. These have created the conditions
firstly for the strengthening of the rival MDC and, secondly, a climate for
Zanu-PF to begin picking-off MDC figures and inducing them to defect,” he said.
“This is a common tactic in Indian and other political
spheres; it is relatively new to Zimbabwe, but I expect it to continue. There
is overall a growing disconnect between Chamisa as an opposition figure and the
MDC as an opposition party. As the last election showed, Chamisa’s presidential
vote was much higher than the party’s parliamentary vote. So, it seems that
members of the party are easily persuaded now to vote with their feet.”
Writing for the African Report, UK-based Zimbabwean
academic Alex Magaisa underscored that the fragmentation of the MDC-Alliance
and the opposition gifted Zanu PF to entrench itself in power, two years before
Zimbabwe goes to the polls.
“The ruling party created the surrogate opposition MDC-T to
essentially disturb the MDC-Alliance. It is not a fight between factions in the
opposition, but a fight by the ruling party against the opposition to dismantle
it and move towards a one-party regime,” wrote Magaisa.
Since its formation in 1999, the MDC has suffered numerous
splits and defections, slowing its momentum to effectively challenge Zanu PF.
In 2005, a faction led by then party secretary-general Welshman Ncube broke
away from the Tsvangirai-led MDC-T following a dispute over participating in
the senatorial elections.
In 2014, a year after Tsvangirai lost a disputed poll to
former president Robert Mugabe, key members of the MDC-T led by the then
secretary-general Tendai Biti broke away from the party to form the Peoples’
Democratic Party (PDP).
Political analyst Alexander Rusero said the opposition
structures were in disarray.
“The structures within the MDC-Alliance are shambolic
partly because the party is suffering from resource constraints. Fighting Zanu
PF is very complicated and difficult because it has a largesse of resources.
These defections will continue for as long as you have political protagonists
who are not within financial means.
“I don’t think we can judge Nelson Chamisa’s leadership
abilities based on defections. He has managed to contain the pressure from
sponsored projects to destabilise the opposition,” Rusero said. Zimbabwe
Independent
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