Zimbabwe opposition parties are led by demi-gods: Witness Dube

MR Witness Dube, the former national information and publicity secretary of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), has delivered a scathing critique of opposition parties in Zimbabwe. He described opposition parties as “demigods-led organisations” with shaky foundations that could crumble should their leaders depart.

Mr Dube resigned from his position in the main opposition party on Saturday morning and immediately drove to Mashonaland Central to attend a Zanu-PF star rally that was addressed by the revolutionary party’s First Secretary and August 23 Presidential candidate, President Mnangagwa.

In an interview with Chronicle, Mr Dube criticised opposition parties for straying from their original principles and becoming overly focused on leadership disputes and personal gains. He compared them to the ancient Philistine building that Samson demolished by shaking two pillars, suggesting that without their prominent leaders, these parties would lose their relevance entirely.

“The opposition has deviated from the founding vision of its founding fathers to being about creating jobs for the people who will then draw political funding for their leadership. Citizen Coalition for Change (CCC) is blatantly a Philistine building which Samson destroyed by shaking two pillars. Without Chamisa (Nelson) and a few others, there will be no CCC to talk about. On the other hand, the MDC leadership has collapsed all organs of the party and abandoned the organic relations which the founding fathers had with the people. More disturbing is the arrogance of both Nelson Chamisa and Douglas Mwonzora who in hindsight, tore the MDC the day they decided to run for Secretary-General back in 2014,” said Mr Dube.

In contrast, Mr Dube praised Zanu-PF for its clear vision and unwavering commitment to the country’s development, particularly under the leadership of President Mnangagwa.

He commended the ruling party for pursuing a progressive agenda, highlighting that it has demonstrated a genuine passion for reform and self-improvement.

“The agenda is clear and systematically pursued. The opposition only uses the people to create jobs for each other and to access taxpayers’ money through political funding. They have not added any value to the leadership matrix and development in our country. It (Zanu-PF) is the only party with a genuine passion for reforming itself, no wonder the opposition is now having to resort to severe propaganda to find relevance.

“They (Zanu-PF) have developed to be the best of themselves, a clear sign that they took notes from their engagements with the opposition.

“Meanwhile, the opposition formations have been degenerating without any hope for ever self-healing as they have no institutional capacity to do so. CCC had double candidates at by-elections, and they are still in denial that they are that disorganised as they repeated the same albeit in a bigger scale in these general elections. MDC misused the grant and failed to pay for its 87 candidates of mostly staff members who stepped on to save the party from the embarrassment of not having candidates,” said Mr Dube.

He said Zanu-PF remains the only party pushing the national development agenda through the transformation of the country, adding that so much work is in progress from the Government.

“This calls for all inclined to service and sacrifice to join in this humble effort of building our country brick by brick,” he said.

Mr Dube’s defection comes at a crucial juncture, with the August 23 harmonised elections approaching. He believes that the opposition’s lack of cohesion and organisational capacity will hinder their chances in the upcoming polls. Mr Dube quit the opposition a day after another opposition party member, Mr Edmore Gomba of the Democratic Opposition Party (DOP) jumped ship and pledged support for Cde Raj Modi, the Zanu-PF candidate in the Bulawayo South Constituency.

Mr Gomba cited the tangible development projects initiated by the Zanu-PF Government under President Mnangagwa’s leadership as the driving force behind his decision. He urged his fellow opposition members to consider supporting Zanu-PF candidates, stating that they are best positioned to bring progress to the region.