MDC Organising Secretary Amos Chibaya and Secretary General Chalton Hwende
A shock defection by a senior official has triggered soul searching in the MDC Alliance amid claims that some of the party’s problems are self-inflicted.
MDC Alliance deputy treasurer general Lillian Timveos was last week paraded by President Emmerson Mnangagwa at State House after she defected to the ruling Zanu PF.
Timveos said it had dawned on her that opposition politics had nothing to offer in Zimbabwe and praised Zanu PF’s “progressive policies”.
She was joined at State House by former MDC-T secretary for local government Blessing Chebundo, who also joined Zanu PF.
MDC Leader Nelson Chamisa. Picture: TIMESLIVE
THE defection of top party executive, Lillian Timveos from the Nelson Chamisa-led MDC Alliance to the ruling Zanu PF has opened a can of worms, with party insiders claiming the young opposition leader’s failure to rein in his “toxic and divisive” secretary-general Chalton Hwende had destroyed the party.
Timveos, the opposition party’s former deputy treasurer-general and Midlands senator, officially joined Zanu PF together with MDC-T secretary for local government, Blessing Chebundo on Wednesday, where they were paraded before President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his deputy Constantino Chiwenga.
More party officials are reportedly warming up to join Zanu PF, which has since the 2018 general elections, been accused of spending millions of dollars as well as abusing State institutions to destroy the opposition party, allegation it denies.
Lilian Timveos
The newest Zanu PF member former MDC Alliance Minister senator Lilian Timveos has responded to Chalton Hwende’s claims that she joined the party in order to keep her senatorial car, Nehanda Radio reports.
In an open letter addressed to Hwende Timveos said she didn’t need a car from the First Lady because she is a woman of means who own 5 cars and has properties all over the country. She also accused the MDC Alliance of misusing the funds from the government for political parties and called Hwende an evil person.
I found the tweet by Chalton Hwende that my reasons for resigning from the MDC Alliance was that the First Lady promised me that my senatorial car will not be seized to be demeaning and a lie by an evil person in the MDCA who will destroy that party until there is nothing to talk about
Douglas Mwonzora
MDC-T Secretary General Douglas Mwonzora has fired pot shots at the lawyer-studded MDC-Alliance saying they have let down their members by not educating and leading them in the legal path to avoid being recalled from parliament.
The three most senior MDC-Alliance leaders, including the president Nelson Chamisa and his co-deputies Tendai Biti and Welshman Ncube are all lawyers by profession.
Mwonzora, who is gunning for the MDCT presidency at tomorrow’s extraordinary congress, also refuted claims his outfit was a Zanu-PF project to destroy the opposition in the country.
“The recalls had to happen. We did not expel anybody from the party. People who were recalled expelled themselves. In terms of the constitution of the MDC-T, if you join or form another political party, you cease to be a member of the MDC-T automatically. So by their actions these men and women ceased to be MPs and councilors of the MDC-T,” Mwonzora said in an interview.