Vongai Masuka

In a bid to bridge a political division, Zimbabwean prominent politician and leader of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), Douglas Mwonzora has reached out to his fiercest rivals including Nelson Chamisa, Tendai Biti, and Job Sikhala with a proposal for a broad political alliance.

Addressing a press conference in Harare on Tuesday, Mwonzora called for the buried hatchet to be unearthed, urging opposition figures to unite into a formidable political force to challenge the ruling ZANU-PF in the 2028 general elections.

Mwonzora, whose leadership has been defined by bitter legal battles and the controversial recall of dozens of opposition MPs, framed his plea as a necessary sacrifice for national progress.

“We want to build a formidable opposition, and for that to happen, we cannot have small political parties.We must be able to forgive one another,” Mwonzora told reporters.

“If we could sit down with Zanu PF in 2008 after it had murdered more than 300 of our finest youngsters, why can we not meet with Biti, Komichi or Chamisa?” He added.

The MDC leader expressed his intention to engage a broad spectrum of figures, including
Nelson Chamisa (Former CCC leader), Tendai Biti and Job Sikhala (Veteran activists),
Welshman Ncube and Elias Mudzuri (MDC veterans) Linda Masarira (LEAD President)

While declaring an open door policy for former members to return to the MDC fold, Mwonzora remained protective of his current standing.

He explicitly warned that while unity is the goal, he would not allow a hostile takeover of the party structures.

The invitation comes at a time when the MDC, once a titan of Zimbabwean politics under the late Morgan Tsvangirai, has seen its influence reduced to a marginal force.

Most of its former grassroots support migrated to Chamisa’s Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) following the 2022 split, a divorce largely triggered by Mwonzora’s use of the courts to seize the party name and assets.