Yet another senior PDP official leaves….. rejoins Tsvangirai MDC

By Tatenda Dewa | Harare Bureau |

A distraught Tendai Biti, the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) president, has confirmed the departure of yet another senior member, Tongai Matutu, on Tuesday.

Matutu left his post as PDP deputy secretary general after some lengthy speculation that he wanted to go back to his former party, the Movement for Democratic Change led by Morgan Tsvangirai (MDC-T).

Biti led away numerous top MDC-T members in early 2014, accusing Tsvangirai of leadership failure and subsequently formed PDP.

Biti took to social media to confirm Matutu’s departure, the latest in a string of political divorces that could ruin his party.

Recently, his deputy, Samuel Sipepa Nkomo, joined the Joice Mujuru-led Zimbabwe People First (ZimPF) party, taking with him Watchy Sibanda, the deputy national chair.

Elton Mangoma, a senior member who was among the architects of the split from MDC-T, went on to form his own party, while there are rumours more are bound to trek away.

“We wish our colleagues well wherever they have gone and whatever circumstances they may have left. No political party owns an individual and the movement of individuals from organisations commonly known as the right of association is an essential foundation of the democracy we believe in,” said Biti.

Matutu was welcomed back to MDC-T at the party headquarters on Tuesday. Nehanda Radio