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(THEZIMBABWETIMES) Chaibva abandons Mutambara for Zanu-PF

Chaibva abandons Mutambara for Zanu-PF
By Our Correspondent
February 5, 2010

HARARE – Former MDC legislator for Harare South constituency Gabriel Chaibva has abandoned the smaller MDC party led by Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara to rejoin President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu-PF.

In a letter to the MDC-M’s deputy president Gibson Sibanda dated, January 1, the controversial politician described Zanu-PF as the “people’s party” while branding his party as a “tribal grouping”.

“You know I have tremendous respect for you as a person,” Chaibva was quoted in the Herald Tuesday, “and it is for that reason that I felt it necessary to advise you in particular of my resignation from the party, which you now have christened MDC-M, for the love of personality cults, I guess.

“I do not want to leave you doubting as to what my next political move would be. I want you to know that I have joined Zanu-PF immediately.

“I seek to work hard for the people’s party, Zanu-PF, to regain its revolutionary image as the defender of our freedom, democracy and the gains of our liberation struggle.”

“Your faction of the MDC has degenerated into a small group of people numbering three who have now become the party unto themselves.

“On many occasions as secretary of information and publicity, I refuted the allegations that we were a tribal grouping, but it has become evidently and visibly clear that this is indeed the case.”

Chaibva accused the MDC leadership of pretending to be progressive during the day “yet in the pitch of darkness, they sup with the devil”.

He also said the MDC was being sponsored by America and that both factions of the MDC were only concerned with jobs for “blue-eyed boys and bootlickers” in the inclusive Government.

“I cannot be part of that and have decided to re-dedicate my energy and a modest 26 years experience in politics to working amongst and with cadres who know where we have come from and who cherish our liberation struggle legacy, in deed and in word. I am a child of Zanla and back home I am going!” he said.

Chaibva was part of the young crop of founding legislators in the then united MDC in 2000.

But since he joined a group of legislators who broke away from the mainstream MDC party led by founding president Morgan Tsvangirai in 2005, Chaibva has seen his political fortunes wan.

Perhaps the biggest signal that he had lost popularity was during the Budiriro by-election in 2006 when he suffered a humiliating defeat to Emmanuel Chisvuure, who was candidate for the MDC-T.

Chaibva, who was the MDC-M’s candidate, polled 504 votes against Chisvuure’s 7 949 votes.

In the same election, Zanu-PF’s Jeremiah Bvirindi polled 3 961 votes.

The former lawmaker has also stocked more controversy in Zimbabwe’s acrimonious sanctions debate by “revealing” that top officials within the then united MDC drafted the controversial Zimbabwe Democracy and Economic Recovery Act (Zidera) at a hotel in Nyanga, Zimbabwe.

“I was there when Zidera was crafted in Nyanga by the MDC,” Chaibva told the State controlled ZBC TV during a current affairs programme in September last year.

“At that point Munyaradzi Gwisai (former MDC MP) stood up in protest and told everyone present that the MDC had been taken over by the US and Europe and business was no longer controlled from Harvest House (MDC headquarters).”

Zanu-PF blames Zimbabwe ’s economic collapse on the sanctions, allegations which the MDC dismisses as propaganda.

Chaibva was in August 2008 deported from the neighbouring Botswana after a visit in which he intended to confront the Ian Khama government for adopting a negative stance towards President Mugabe’s government.

“I had gone there to meet some government officials to discuss a few issues; among them their negative stance about Zimbabwe ,” Chaibva later told the media.

“They are ill-treating our people there and their foreign policy on Zimbabwe is basically bad, but they would not listen and accused me of being a government spy and their police accompanied me all the way from Gaborone to Plumtree.”

A month before, Chaibva was fired by Mutambara as party spokesperson for attending Mugabe’s inauguration as President at State House.

Mugabe won the election after Tsvangirai, his challenger had pulled out citing the impossibility of holding a free and fair run off election due to increased state sponsored violence which claimed over 200 of his supporters.

The MDC-M had also distanced itself from the “sham” election.

Chaibva joins independent Tsholotsho North legislator Jonathan Moyo who has also rejoined Zanu PF.

At party level, he becomes one of its frustrated senior officials in the MDC-M who have abandoned the embattled party citing alleged abuse of power by Mutambara’s executive.

Job Sikhala, a former legislator who lost his St Mary’s seat for siding with the less popular Mutambara group, left the party last
year.

Last year MDC lost three legislators; Abednico Bhebhe (Nkayi South), Njabuliso Mguni (Lupane East) and Norman Mpofu (Bulilima East) after the party’s disciplinary committee found them guilty of indiscipline.

Labels: ARTHUR MUTAMBARA, GABRIEL CHAIBVA, MDC, ZANU-PF

posted by MrK @ 7:31 AM