Mhetu dumps Mwonzora, joins CCC after crushing by-elections defeat

Former MDC Alliance leader Douglas Mwonzora’s ally Zivai Mhetu has joined the main opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) following his crushing defeat in the March 26 by-elections.

Mhetu contested in the by-elections vying for the Epworth seat and he garnered a measly 700 votes. The seat was grabbed by Zanu-PF’s Zalera Makari who got 10 248 votes, while CCC’s Earthrage Kureva had 8 283 votes.

He believes that a divided opposition had no capacity to win the seat hence his decision to join hands with Nelson Chamisa’s CCC in order to reclaim the constituency.

“My crushing defeat in the March 26 by-elections was a rude awakening to the fact that the Epworth constituency had been lost to Zanu PF due to a divided opposition. Zanu-PF would have been defeated if Ethrage Kureva and I had combined our numbers.

“Only a CCC-led people’s representation, not Zanu PF’s politicking, will bring title deeds to Epworth residents,” Mhetu said while addressing his supporters in Epworth on Saturday.

He added: “The state of Epworth’s roads reflects Zanu PF’s failure to develop the satellite town, and there is a need for an opposition MP who can represent the interests and values of his or her constituency.

“Epworth needs a people-driven opposition MP with the ability and acumen to speak the truth to power in order to improve service delivery and people’s livelihoods.

“In the name of nationalism, I have decided to join the CCC and stand with the people. Zimbabwe’s political reality is that there are two political parties: Zanu PF and the CCC. While Zanu PF seeks to maintain the status quo, CCC seeks to effect political change.

“I humbly invite all political parties to join CCC, the people’s movement and party, as we prepare for a landslide victory in the 2023 general elections to form the new government that the people have been longing for.”

Mwonzora’s party did not win anything during the by-elections. CCC, a newly formed party, won 19 seats out of 28 in Parliament. Zanu-PF grabbed 9 seats.

Recently, MDC Alliance chairman Morgen Komichi said the party was consistently crumbling following its defeat in the by-elections.

“MDC is not a worthy party. It is just a puppet of Zanu-PF. We can be subjective but the truth of the matter is, people rejected us,” Komichi said in a leaked audio conversation with an unidentified party supporter.