FORMER Harare mayor Elias Mudzuri said a divided opposition will not be able to dislodge President Emmerson Mnangagwa and the ruling Zanu PF party from power in this year’s elections.

Addressing journalists in the capital yesterday, Mudzuri, who was expelled from the MDC-T where he was vice-president, said all opposition parties need to unite to topple the ruling party and its leader.

“There is division (among the opposition) because there is confusion. You don’t just follow each other because you want to defeat Mnangagwa. I don’t just follow a person because I want to beat Mnangagwa. I must do so when I believe that when we are together we are going to deliver. The opposition must do the right things that will make voters appreciate their presence,” Mudzuri said.

“It’s up to all the opposition leaders to start talking to each other and when we talk we must meet in our minds. Politics of disgruntlement is not enough. There are also proper processes that help deliver expectations of the people.”

Mudzuri said the MDC name was no longer appealing because of several splits.

Nelson Chamisa formed the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) last year after MDC-T leader Douglas Mwonzora snatched the party, its name, symbols and assets.

“How can you appeal when you’re not organised? You can’t follow a disorganised institution. We must preserve this MDC because it is the main institution that stood the ground against Zanu PF,” Mudzuri said.

“But the leaders who have been coming have chosen to go astray and leave what the party demands us to do.”

Mwonzora’s spokesperson Lloyd Damba described Mudzuri as confused.

“If a person is personally confused he must not mistake that for opposition confusion,” he said.

CCC spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere said there was no confusion in the CCC.

“There is no confusion in the citizens’ movement. We are a big tent that unites all progressive citizens genuinely opposed to Zanu PF in the fight to win Zimbabwe for change. Since our formation in January 2022, we have left no stone unturned to ensure that citizens who oppose tyranny, poverty and injustice across all provinces focus all efforts on bringing transformation to our nation,” Mahere said.

“We have no time to worry about what outposts of Zanu PF are doing. Our only goal is to win big this year so that we end the suffering of the masses and usher in a new great Zimbabwe with dignity, prosperity and freedom for all.”

Political analyst Kudakwashe Munemo said Mudzuri’s remarks were being driven by frustration.

“Opposition candidates must not just come together for the sake of sharing power, revive lost relevance and fulfil personal political goals at the expense of the majority,” he said. – News Day