Chamisa hints on new party name

By The Standard and Newsday | Dec. 24, 2021 | 2 Min read

The MDC-T led by Douglas Mwonzora has said it will claim the MDC Alliance as its name in elections, leaving Chamisa's party without a name.

BY MOSES MATENGA MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa yesterday teased the new party name and colours as the opposition party races against time ahead of pending by-elections and 2023 polls.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Tuesday said he would proclaim a date for the impending by-elections in early January.

The MDC-T led by Douglas Mwonzora has said it will claim the MDC Alliance as its name in elections, leaving Chamisa’s party without a name.

So far Chamisa has lost the party name, headquarters and provincial offices including state funding under the Political Parties (Finance) Act to Mwonzora.

“Colour is language, colour lights up the environment and illuminates the atmosphere. The future is exciting. We must be different but which colour is the future?” Chamisa tweeted yesterday while holding yellow, orange and blue umbrella umbrellas.

The MDC Alliance uses red as its traditional colours, but with the Mwonzora outfit having taken over, the main opposition outfit finds itself in a precarious position.

Chamisa was not answering his mobile phone to clarify the position.

Responding to Chamisa’s statement, party secretary general Chalton Hwende said curtly: “Exciting times ahead.”

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But the MDC T yesterday said the party would not allow Chamisa to use the MDC Alliance tag.

“We are the Alliance principals and we are unambiguous. We are a constitutional democracy and they may not have all their prayers answered through unconstitutional means,” MDC-T spokesperson Witness Dube said.

“They said they (MDC Alliance) will have Harvest House (party headquarters) we had it. They said they will have the funds under the Political Parties (Finance) Act, we got that. They said they will have to recall our MPs, we recalled errant members of our party and we are not moved by any words now. The time of reckoning is now.”

A few months ago, there were reports that Chamisa will adopt Citizens Convergence for Change (CCC) as the new party name.

But in a letter addressed to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission dated September 20, an unknown politician Farai Zhou claimed that CCC belonged to his group and named a known Zanu PF functionary Varaidzo Musungo as the party’s presidential candidate.

He also said prominent Bulawayo lawyer Tavengwa Hara was the legal representative of the party. Hara distanced himself from CCC.