via Biti appoints party national executive | The Herald July 28, 2014 by Nyemudzai Kakore
FORMER MDC-T stalwart and Makokoba legislator Mr Gorden Moyo, who left the beleaguered party last month citing lack of leadership, has joined the Renewal Team which is calling for the removal of party leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai.The move comes as the team led by party secretary-general Mr Tendai Biti is on the verge of forming a political party after announcing members of its National Executive Committee last Friday.
The Renewal Team has since dropped the MDC-T’s red colour and adopted orange as its main colour and will use a new slogan: “MDC-Team Renewal: The party of choice; The party of choice: MDC-Team Renewal”.
The team will also continue to use the open palm, but will drop Mr Tsvangirai’s name on other popular statements they will be using, which are borrowed from MDC-T.
Mr Moyo, a former MDC-T Bulawayo chairman, was last Friday appointed to lead the Renewal Team’s Diaspora and international relations committee, one of several working committees which make up the team’s National Executive Committee.
When he resigned in June, Mr Moyo said the MDC-T had become confused.
“On this day, the 13th of June 2014, I, Gorden Moyo, am stepping down from the office of the chair of Bulawayo province with immediate effect,” he said. “An angel of darkness has visited our party. We have been raped by a demon and become like the Tower of Babel – full of confusion.
“I can’t pretend there is one MDC and so for avoidance of doubt I wrote to both of them.”
Former spokesperson for the Professor Arthur Mutambara led MDC faction Mr Maxwell Zimuto also joined the renewal group and was appointed to serve in the recruitment and mobilisation committee.
The Renewal Team is led by suspended MDC-T secretary general Mr Tendai Biti and is now making its first steps to evolve into a fully-fledged political party following the appointment of the committees.
Mr Biti and his team have been calling on Mr Tsvangirai to step down, accusing him of leadership failure that resulted in successive electoral losses to Zanu-PF.
The Renewal Team’s National Executive Committee will be made up of 16 working committees tasked with various activities.
Mr Biti will be chairing finance, administration and policy and research functions of the grouping, while former MDC-T deputy treasurer general Mr Elton Mangoma will chair the informal sector and livelihoods committee.
Former MP for Masvingo Central Mr Jeffreyson Chitando will lead the recruitment and mobilisation committee, while the faction’s spokesperson Mr Jacob Mafume will chair the communications committee.
Dzivarasekwa National Assembly representative Solomon Madzore will be chair of the organising committee, Mbizo MP Mr Settlement Chikwinya will chair the labour and civic society committee, while Mrs Kerry Kay will head the local government portfolio.
Former Mazowe Central MP Mr Shepherd Mushonga will head legal affairs, Kuwadzana legislator Mrs Lucia Matibenga will chair social welfare and Mr Last Maengahama will lead the cadership development and ideology position.
Parliamentary affairs will be chaired by Kambuzuma lawmaker Mr Willas Madzimure and Constitution implementation will be chaired by Ms Luta Shaba, while former Masvingo Urban MP Mr Tongai Matutu will be head of elections.
Mr Mafume denied that they were forming a new party when he announced the chairpersons of the working committees.
“We haven’t formed our own new party, but we have expelled certain leaders, he said. The message for renewal is resonating with many of our members. ’It has taken time for some of them to think about these issues, it is a marathon and not a sprint. We are doing this for 2018 where there is the next election and we are willing to contribute to the national development.’’
Senator for Harare Mrs Rorana Muchiwa, Tsholotsho North MP Mrs Roselene Nkomo, Dangamvura-Chikanga MP Mr Arnold Tsunga and Mr Mushonga attended their first public meeting as members of the Renewal Team on Friday.
Mr Mafume said their faction would work to provide jobs, education and a stable economy for Zimbabweans.
He also backed land reform, saying the exercise spearheaded by Zanu-PF was irreversible.
“The land question is irreversible and every Zimbabwean must benefit from the land, he said. The land audit will weed out corruption and multiple land ownership.”
The Renewal Team has said it will hold its first congress in March next year.
It emerged over the weekend that at least 19 legislators from both the National Assembly and Senate have so far defected to the Renewal Team.
The MDC-T has 49 National Assembly members and 21 in the Senate.
The legislators include Tendai Biti (Harare East), Lucia Matibenga (Kuwadzana), Evelyn Masaiti Muzungu (non-constituency), Simon Sipepa-Nkomo (Lobengula), Mrs Roselene Nkomo (Tsholotsho North), Willas Madzimure (Kambuzuma), Settlement Chikwinya (Mbizo), Solomon Madzore (Dzivarasekwa), Paul Madzore (Glen View South), Reggie Moyo (Luveve) and Bekithemba Nyathi (Pelandaba-Mpopoma).
The others are Judith Muzhavazhe (non-constituency), Brian Tshuma (Hwange Central), Arnold Tsunga (Dangamvura-Chikanga), Gorden Moyo (Makokoba), Moses Manyengavana (Highfied West), Sekai Holland (Senator Harare) Watchy Sibanda (Senator Matabeleland South) and Rorana Muchihwa (Senator Harare).
COMMENTS
Tendai Biti looks very sick. Whats going on!
Character assasination of opponents will not resurrect Shona gukurahundi “Mugabe” Tswangirayi’s political career!!
Stright shooter you are deflating the relavence of genuine trabalist issues by pasting the tribe card on everthing you dislike. When you condemn genuine trabilist issues you will sound like a broken record repeating whoolf! whoolf! You hate us who are shona oponants of Gukurahundi. Not all shonas are Gukurahundi, not all shonas are Zanu PF. Its like blaming ndebeles for Obert Mpofu’s corruption. Please shoot more accurately!!
Ndoda get lost mani!
This is about Shona gukurahundi Tswangirayi and Mugabe. This is not about every Shona. There are also Ndebele gukurahundis like Obert Mpofu and others. Its not my fault that they are gukurahundis!!
Ngaaende pama ARV very fast
What has Tendai Biti’s health got to do with the heading and content of this story? Why stoop so low?????????????
He, like the others is not stooping low. He is and has always been low. He is just being himself – low, low, low as usual!
Tendai Biti and company are just spineless bunch, they have a name, colour,an executive of their new party but they are insisting that they did not form a new party. What this bunch of fools know is that they will never survive another election so they what to ride on Tsvangirai,s shadow. I challenge this bunch of useless individuals to stand on their own and show us their political muscle.
They are merely emphasising that they have indeed fired Tswangirayi who had personalised the name and the colours of the original party!
Good luck to the renewal team. This is long over due and we can make a change in 2018 if not before.
These people are very short-sighted, no long term strategic vision at all. MDC was a bad choice for a party name to begin with (more of a pressure group name than a party name). How many years are they going to be renewing? Four years down the road they will still be a pressure group renewal team. If they are this short-sighted on party issues how are they going to be successful at running a country
Roving
They are better Strategists than your Tswangirayi multipled a thousand times!!
HE WHO APPOINTS, FIRES!
Only a white man can lead this country out of this mess, renewal term or not we are still going to get the same results… lets swallow our bride and admit our short comings. Ruling a nation is not our thing. Come 2018 Zanu is going to win with Grace as chief mark my words.
@tjingababili. That observation is spot on. The guy was anxiously waiting on the sidelines for a chance to pounce. What we are witnessing is the triumph of the triumvirate conspirators. Is anyone familiar with these phrases ‘beware of the ides of march’ and ‘And you too Brutus’. But then again one wonders who is gonna be the Mark Anthony of this whole shore. If ever there is gonna be one. And yet its unfortunate in this case the conspirators left a wounded and not a dead Julius Ceasar. Lets call this the solidification of MDC-B, an interesting metamophosis. I hope the centre will continue to hold with such a mixed grill of controversial personas in the fold.
What a confusion coming from Matebeleland, when someone is almost at the top, they always make wrong decision last minute. Gibson Sibanda did the same after struggling together with Tsvangirai in the labour movement. He was mislead by Ncube, and he only stayed in government at the messy of Mugabe until his untimely death. Nkomo did the same, ZAPU PF was such a strong team, it would have been a force to recognized, they were deceived into a unity accord by ZANU PF in 1987 and that spelt their death. Moyo such a potential leader now joining Biti who is a toothless politician on his on, that will spell doom for Moyo’s political career. Just watch
bruce koffe
Can you please uMthwakazi alone and do your confused gukurahundi rubbish alone.
Democracy does not work the way you are stating. People are free to associate with or disassociate from whom so ever they choose.
Shona gukurahundi tribalism in Gukurahundi Zimbabwean politics will not stop this; come what may!!!
bruce koffe
Can you please LEAVE uMthwakazi alone and do your confused gukurahundi rubbish alone.
Democracy does not work the way you are stating. People are free to associate with or disassociate from whom so ever they choose.
Shona gukurahundi tribalism in Gukurahundi Zimbabwean politics will not stop this; come what may!!!
@bruce koffe What about your dead and useless National Chairman lovemore Moyo
19 Legislators with them; thats quite a good kick at the backside of anti-Ndebele regionalist “village politician” Shona gukurahundi Tswangirayi aka Robert Mugabe!!!!
Zimbabwe needs Godly leaders of truth and integrity who will stand for the things that uderpin Gods throne: justice and righteousness. So long as parties endorse injustice and theft in Muambatsvina, land reform where people are kicked out of their homes with no rule of law, we will continue to see Zimbabwe slide backwards.
pro truth
Zimbabwe also needs Godly citizens who have empathy for each other whatever the circumstances. This “I’M ALRIGHT JACK” attitude, which says things are fine as long one is not yet the victim of the ruling clique is just not on.
“I put them up there in power, because they were doing good for me and spoke my language. Then they first came for uMthwakazi; because I was not Mthwakazi I was not bothered. They then came for the White farmers; but because I was not a farmer, I was not bothered. Now they are after me – and I now want the Mthwakazi and the White farmers to help me remove them from power!!”
Its this type of Zim attitude that needs to change!
Interesting contributions indeed but some of them showing lack of foresight,backwardness(tribalism) and of- course integrity.Please continue divided and give us an opportunity to rule forever.
More years of turmoil and confusion in the opposition ranks, all thanks to those who would renew something that doesn’t need renewing.
Meantime the ZANU monster continues to grow fat, our people scrabbling around for crumbs under its table and our Zim goes to the dogs.
Morgan is more please! Biti is waiting for his burial!