By Paul Nyathi| Leader of the People’s Democratic Party Tendai Biti has blamed Emerson Mnangagwa’s government for forcing Zimbabwe Electoral Commission Chairperson Rita Makarau to resign.
Speaking in an interview on Friday evening, Biti said without elaborating that Makarau did not leave ZEC on her own will but was put under pressure by the combination of Mnangagwa and the military currently running the country to get her to resign.
“Makarau is a victim of the junta,” he said. “The junta pressured her to resign because she is G40,” added Biti.
Biti said that opposition parties are not impressed with the way Makarau left her job at the commission and are not at all excited by her departure.
“As the opposition alliances in NERA, CODE and MDC Alliance we are not at all excited over the departure of Makarau as it is of no significance as long as all the other commissioners at ZEC have remained,” said Biti.
“The departure of only Makarau from ZEC does not help our situation as we want the entire commission made up of persons aligned to ZANU PF to be dissolved and we have the AU and the UN run our elections,” he said.
Spokesperson for the MDC led by professor Welshman Ncube, Kurauone Chihwayi implored on Makarau to tell the nation why she resigned from her position unexpectedly.
“Makarau’s resignation tells that there are problems within the commission and we need to know those problems as we prepare for elections,” said Chihwayi.
Constitutional lawyer Lovemore Madhuku echoed Chihwayi’s sentiments insisting that Makarau’s resignation may affect preparations for the 2018 elections.
Madhuku said that her departure needs to be investigated as it points that there is issues to be attended to in the commission.
Opposition parties have been calling for Makarau to be removed from ZEC from the time she was appointed by former President Robert Mugabe in the run up to the 2013 elections.
While the politicians are sceptical of her resignations, Zimbabweans in general have received the news with joy as they strongly believed that Makarau was part of the alleged ZANU PF election rigging network.
Emmanuel Magade is the acting ZEC Chairperson until Mnangagwa appoints the new chairperson.
15 Replies to “Biti Says Makarau Was Pushed to Resign”
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Crab mentality. The opposition will have no one to blame if they lose next year’s elections. Makarau was bad news and everyone wanted her gone. Biti is pissed off that Rita is gone without the involvement of the opposition. Ngwena seems to be pressing the right buttons and for all we care Biti and his brurus can go hang.
Why does Biti wants the elections be run by UN or AU. There are many unemployed graduates who can run these elections. Its not rocket science. He should be talking abt the processes that need refinements to eliminate rigging, like how results will be beamed live straight from polling stations to a centralised command centre, security of related servers, in including voter education and opening of the airspace. No one talking about new radio stations and TV. The opposition looks radarless at the moment. Needs to sit down and decide on their strategies and tactics. Currently, there is just too much discordance in messaging to the point of almost being foolish
You are spot-on Nyamhangambiri. The opposition parties, especially Biti’s PDP and the other little MDC, are totally confused. They wanted Mugabe to go and he is gone. They wanted Rita to go and she has resigned. They are now complaining why she resigned. Tendai Biti be serious before the political landscape renders you useless. Focus on the ball not the player’s shadow
Opposition now confused…only recen they were calling for Makarau’s resignation and now she is gone they cry foul…..Zim opposition should be objective and stop opposing for the sake of opposing….we need bread and butter issues that will improve our welfare as a whole not to clamour for Rita a known Mugabe stooge…..She must go coz her master has gone period!
Iro Biti zidununu ratanga kuchema Chema. Ita semurume akakwana kwete kuita sa Jona Moyo anokwira nekukwira zvese. Wakumuda manje Rita Makarau. Waimbotii makore apfuura ayo. Usachemere kutonga kudaro Tendai. Ngaaende ngaaende Rita iyeyo idhodhi. Biti imbotinyarawo. Haumbofa wakapinda pa Nyanga. Zviroto
It now appears as if Zimbabwe opposition parties do not have a vision or strategy. It’s as if they wanted to remove Mugabe and now that has come to pass, they had not planned on the next move…I would suggest that opposition now starts focusing on policies and strategies that are focused on the Zimbabwe’s progression and not focused individuals being removed from office, otherwise their worlds will crumble…
Zim opposition, I fail to understand you, just recently you were all screaming for the resignation of Makarau and now that she has resigned you are questioning why, hamunawo kwenyu kungoda chete ku opposer nokuzvipa mbiri yamusina, taneta nemi imi
Mad Tendai Biti doesn’t know what he is all about……past years he was blaming ZANU-PF of using Judge Rita Makarau as its instrument in manipulating General Elections….U-TURN now blaming the same Party of forcing Judge Rita Makarau out of Office….Biti was the one calling for Judge Rita Makarau’s Head….i believe this what we can call the beginning of the Electoral Reforms…..isn’t it????………….
True anongo hukura sekabwa kechikadzi.
Biti has marched with the junta to remove a democratic elected leader and government, now the electoral chair person. Biti will definitely get what he craves for. Opposition political parties must not cry foul in future. They are the architects of their own demise. They will cry at their own political funeral.
She has every right to resign if she wants. Let us not put words in her mouth. Anyone who is employed can break that contract anytime.
mbiti imboko. has a problem of blaming and blaming for the ake of blaming.please concentrate on your MDC kwete kungoita ka hu hu. kuhukura everyday hazvina zvazvinotipa. ndimi maida kuti abve nhasi abva mavakuti aitwa forced to resign. this is bullshit Tendai Mboko.
Biti is unnecessarily controversial. Kungohumana he’s now boring kunge Jonathan Moyo. This guy haana kusiya na naLumumba. Imboko
Moda kuti abve achi famba in slow motion here nhai.
get a life Biti. Makarau pushed us into poverty by pushing results. she held three posts for crying out loud. asi you dont have political manifesto for your party whereby you are trying to seek relevance asi to who then. that march Biti tells you a lot, we were not forced but of our own free will. a man of ranking should control what he says in public lest it bites you back. l now doubt your capabilities of leading us. unotengesa nyika iwe masikati machena. unotobuda tsinga uchida kutaura zvaMakarau, get a life mhani Biti. We expect a lot lot better from you
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