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He said he was now on a nationwide campaign to drum up support for the new party, which he said would be officially launched in January next year.
Two Gweru councillors, Clr Trust Chineni, who was the MDC-T’s Mkoba district chairperson and Ward 17 councillor, Clemence Kwaru also confirmed joining the UDM party.
Clr Chimombe claimed that several mayors and councillors had since joined the newly formed party.
He said the mayors and councillors were working closely with him.
Clr Chimombe was one of the 13 MDC-T councillors who were served with either dismissal or suspension letters countrywide by the MDC-T party over allegations of corruption. Both the fired and suspended councillors, however, were given room to appeal to the party’s national committee.
Clr Chimombe said he together with six other councillors in Gweru, who were either suspended or fired from the party, decided not to appeal and instead opted to join UMD.
“In Shona we say kukava dacha huriyambutsa and after being fired from the MDC-T party, I decided not to appeal and move forward after I realised that there was no democracy in the MDC-T party. Councillors in Gweru, who were also victims of the MDC-T’s “undemocratic” ways, then joined me in the new party, United Movement for Democracy,” he said.
Mayor Chimombe said he was the interim national chairman of the new UMD party and was going to every city and town drumming up support for the new party.
“We are a very promising party and so far I can safely say we have over 10 mayors from various cities and towns as well as more than 60 councillors, including town council chairpersons, who have since joined us. We cannot, however, mention them now. We have decided that it would be proper for them to announce their defection from the MDC-T when we officially launch our party early next year,” he said.
Clr Chimombe launched a scathing attack on his former party leader, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai, whom he said was running the party like his own tuckshop.
“A lot of people who are either ministers or deputy ministers today under the MDC-T ticket do not even know when the party was formed but because they are close friends or relatives of Mr Tsvangirai and his close allies, they are now occupying high offices. The irony is that the majority of the people who were tortured for supporting the party in its formative stages are languishing in poverty.
“Zanu-PF has never forgotten their cadres who fought in the liberation struggle, but Mr Tsvangirai is quickly forgetting the people who were there when the party was formed under a very hostile environment.
People who were enjoying themselves out there while we were being tortured are now coming to occupy high offices,” said Clr Chimombe, who cited the recent appointment of the former United Kingdom- based lawyer, Mr Alex Magaisa in the Prime Minister’s office.
Clr Chimombe said many MDC-T members were now frustrated and disgruntled by the way Mr Tsvangirai was running the party and were keen to join the new party led by Mr Mawere.
“As the interim chairman, I have been overwhelmed by calls from senior party officials, most of them from the MDC-T party, who were inquiring about our party,” he said.
MDC-T provincial spokesperson for Midlands South, Clr James Tsuro, dismissed the alleged crossover of Clr Chimombe and his colleagues to UDM as a non-event.
He said the dismissed and suspended councillors were no longer MDC-T party officials.
“Chimombe was fired while his other colleagues were either fired or suspended from the party. When they decided not to appeal, it meant they were no longer part of the MDC-T family. Efforts to get comment from Mr Mawere were fruitless.
Online Reporter