FORMER Finance minister and Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) co-vice-president Tendai Biti, has dumped the main opposition political party saying he is taking a sabbatical away from politics as he goes on a soul searching break.
Speaking on HSTV’s #FreeTalk show, Biti, who was supposed
to take over as CCC president from the current leader Welshman Ncube on a
rotational basis, said he had withdrawn from politics to focus on other spaces
that can help to remove the ruling Zanu PF party from power.
The outspoken former legislator disowned the statement made
by self-imposed CCC spokesperson Jacob Mafume that there had held a meeting
which agreed to make him, Ncube and Lynette Kairenyi Kore rotational leaders of
the party following the resignation of Nelson Chamisa from the CCC.
The opposition CCC was left leaderless after Chamisa
ditched the party ravaged by self-imposed interim secretary-general, Sengezo
Tshabangu, who recalled several legislators from Parliament after the general
elections held last year.
“Everyone has a constitutional right of controlling his own
affairs, at the present moment and time as Tendai Biti, I have taken a time out
in certain spaces and political spaces,” he said.
“I am not sure of the meeting you are referring to, I am
not aware of the meeting that made me a rotational president.
Following the announcement that Ncube, Biti and Kairenyi
Kore, had taken over the CCC, there was a public backlash, with the three being
labelled sellouts that had betrayed the struggle and jumped in bed with Zanu
PF, an allegation Biti has denied.
“As an individual, I occupy spaces, I am a lawyer, I am
doing what I have been doing in the courts, with my strategic litigation.
“I am busy writing, I think we are going to produce a book
before the end of the year on unpacking liberation movements and so forth.
“But as an individual I am also entitled to rest, to have a
sabbatical and so forth. So I am in that mode of complete, I don’t want to say
isolation, complete time out if you like, but I still remain driven, by the
fact that we must have democratic change in Zimbabwe,” Biti said.
The former legislator, who during his tenure as MP, led the
fight against corruption, called on Zimbabweans to take charge of the fight for
democracy and not subcontract their future to individuals.
“I don’t see agency and urgency, we have normalised the
abnormal. We accept madness; they come up with a new currency it’s business as
usual.
“They come up with a mad budget it’s business as usual.
They distribute vehicles like confetti, it’s business as usual. They speak of a
third term, it’s business as usual. It’s not good enough so I don’t see
urgency, I don’t see agency.
“Collectively, I don’t want to speak about political
parties or individuals, I want to speak about our collective responsibility as
citizens, we must provide the agency and the urgency,” he said.
Biti’s move comes hardly two weeks after Ncube told the
media that he was scoring success in building a united opposition and that the
party dumped by Chamisa would emerge stronger and more united.
However, another CCC faction led by Jameson Timba and
fronted by spokesperson Promise Mkwananzi said Biti’s resignation from the
party and temporary withdrawal from politics was a vindication on their part.
“This move if you are correct, my brother, goes on to show
that the CCC had only one legitimate leader who was Nelson Chamisa, any attempt
to masquerade as the leader of the alternative will fail as has been
demonstrated by Welshman Ncube. Nobody can dispute that Chamisa was the
legitimate leader of the CCC and recent developments vindicate us,” Mkwananzi
said.
Biti, however, promised to bounce back before 2028 when
Zimbabwean is expected to hold its next general elections post President
Emmerson Mnangagwa who is serving his last term.
The FreeTalk episode will air tomorrow on HSTV YouTube
Channel at 5pm. Newsday
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