Tendai Biti

School / Education

Secondary: Goromonzi High School between 1980 and 1985 where he was appointed deputy head boy in 1985.
Tertiary: Bachelor of Law Degree from the University of Zimbabwe.

Service/Career

In the 2000 Parliamentary Election (see A History of Zimbabwean Elections) Harare East returned to Parliament:

• Tendai Laxton Biti of MDC with 18 129 votes,
• Stalin Maumau of Zanu PF with 4 391 votes,
• Heneri Dzinotyyiwei of ZIP with 140 votes.

In the 2013 Elections, (see A History of Zimbabwean Elections) Harare East returned to Parliament:

• Tendai Biti of MDC–T with 9 538 votes or 51.44 percent,
• Noah Mangondo of Zanu PF with 8 190 votes or 44.17 percent,
• Stanley Chivige of MDC–N with 761 votes or 4.10 percent,
• 1 other with 53 votes or 0.29 percent.

Total 18 542 votes

In the 2022 By-Elections, (see Zimbabwe By-elections (March_2022)) Harare East returned to Parliament:

• Tendai Biti of Citizens' Coalition for Change with 7 534 votes,
• Mavis Gumbo of Zanu-PF with 3 045 votes,
• Christopher Mbanga of MDC Alliance with 114 votes,
• Garikai Mlambo of United Zimbabwe Alliance with 100 votes,
• Precious Musarurwa of LEAD with 25 votes.

Events

Positions Held

Biti was voted to be the Secretary-General of MDC-T at the 2005 Congress a position which he still holds. Some of the positions he held are as follows:

• Minister of Finance in the Government of National Unity (2009 -2013)
• Secretary-General of the Movement for Democratic Change –Tsvangirai (March 2005 – present)
• Member of Parliament for Harare East Constituency (2000 - 2013)
• Founding Member of Movement for Democratic Change
• Human Rights Lawyer
• Co-Founder of the National Constitutional Assembly
• Co-Founder of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights.^[1]

Biti also served as a Member of Board of Governors at Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank.

• He is also founder of the United Movement fro Democratic Change party founded in 2014.^[2]

Expulsion from the MDC-T

In april 2014, Biti was expelled from MDC-T following an attempt to oust party leader Morgan Tsvangirai in an apparent ‘coup.’ Biti’s group, called the Renewal Team had met at Mandel Training Centre in Harare on 26 April 2016 and had resolved to suspend Tsvangirai and six top officials for alleged fascist tendencies and failing to oust Zanu-PF leader President Robert Mugabe in the 2013 harmonised elections. However, at a meeting of the national council held at Harvest House, the party headquarters on 29 April, the MDC-T council members voted to expel Biti. 162 out of 167 members in attendance voted in favour of the motion to expel Biti in terms of article 2 of their party constitution.

The renewal team group included the MPs Willas Madzimure (Kambuzuma), Settlement Chikwinya (Mbizo, KweKwe), Solomon Madzore (Dzivarasweka) and Paul Madzore (Glen View South). Them and Biti were subsequently expelled from parliament the next year.

Expulsion from Parliament

In March 2015, Biti was expelled from parliament together with other 20 MPs who had defected from the MDC-T party after the formation of the UMDC. This was after Douglas Mwonzora Secretary General of the MDC-T had written to the speaker of parliament Jacob Mudenda requesting a parliamentary recall since the 21 MPs were no longer part of the MDC-T party. The request was granted and his Harare East Constituency post was declared vacant effectively reducing the MDC-T seats in Parliament from 91 to 70. MDC-T boycotted the by-elections to replace the MPs.

Formation of People's Democratic Party

Biti and his renewal group initially formed what was called the MDC Renewal Team. The renewal team eventually formed an alliance with Welshman Ncube's MDC resulting in the party called United Movement for Democratic Change (UMDC).

In September 2015 however, Biti's group formed its own official party called People's Democratic Party with Biti himself as president and Kucaca Phulu as vice president.

Rejoining The MDC / Forming the MDC Alliance

In August 2017 Tendai Biti's People's Democratic Party came together with 6 other parties to form the MDC Alliance. Like the PDP, most of the parties had been splinter parties that broke from the MDC in earlier years. The August 2017 coalition was created by their perceived need of a united larger party to contest the July 2018 elections.

MDC president Morgan Tsvangirai died in February 2018 of cancer and the party's presidency was controversially assumed by one of the vice presidents, Nelson Chamisa. After the elections in 2018, the party decided to just refer to itself as the MDC.

Testimony Before the American Senate

In December 2017 he was part of the MDC alliance delegation that appeared before a United States Congressional Committee on Foreign Relations in USA to appraise Americans on the situation in Zimbabwe.

2018 Elections

Declaring MDC Alliance win at a presser

Tendai Biti claimed that the MDC Alliance has collated the election results and these results show that the MDC Alliance had won the harmonized elections. Biti said that the MDC Alliance was pushing the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) to formally announce the results instead of delaying like they were. However, Biti conceded that the MDC Alliance does not have 21 percent of the V11 forms which Zec illegally did not post at polling stations.

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Appeal by police

Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) Spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba revealed that the police want MDC Alliance principal Tendai Biti and MDC Youth leader Happymore Chidziva to come in for questioning.

The Zimbabwe Republic Police launched a manhunt for Biti and other opposition MDC Alliance senior officials accusing them of inciting their followers to violence. This came after the death of six civilians who were gunned by the military after opposition supporters demonstrated against alleged manipulation of results by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec). Some of the charges Biti faced included, incitement to political violence and the illegal declaration of an election winner.

Arrest At Zambian Border Following 2018 Elections

Tendai Biti was arrested near the Zambian Border. Biti was reportedly seeking political asylum in Zambia. Biti’s lawyer Nqobizitha Mlilo confirmed the matter to the media. Mlilo only said :

He was arrested at the Zambian border

^[3]

Seeking Asylum in Zambia

Tendai Biti was briefly arrested by Zimbabwean security personnel but was released after it had been realized that at the time of his arrest he was already on Zambian soil and the Zimbabwean security personnel had no jurisdiction to arrest him. Biti was released and proceeded to Lusaka where he wanted to seek asylum.

Deportation from Zambia

Zambia’s foreign minister, Joseph Malanji, said the reasons Biti gave for seeking asylum “did not have merit, so he was being held in safe custody and the government of Zambia was working on taking him back to Zimbabwe.^[4]

Denying contravening Section 66A(1) of the Electoral Act Chapter 2:13

Appearing before Harare magistrate Mr Francis Mapfumo yesterday, Tendai Biti denied that he ran away from charges of contravening Section 66A(1) of the Electoral Act Chapter 2:13, which prohibits the unofficial or false declaration of election results.

Biti said he ran away because of political persecution. He claimed that gunshots were fired at his brother when he was on his way to Bindura in the company of his minor children. Biti said on August 2, there was an attempt on his life by unidentified people driving unmarked vehicles. He also said he was improperly before the court and should be in a Zambian court. Said Biti:

I then concluded that my life and that of my family was in danger hence I decided to flee. I was unlawfully returned to Zimbabwe despite the fact that my life was in danger. No court in Zimbabwe has jurisdiction over me, I should be in a Zambian court since an order was passed by a Lusaka judge. In light of these violations of international laws, Zimbabwe, and Zambian domestic laws, my deportation is a nullity and anything that follows is a nullity

^[5]

Mothlante Commission

Tendai Biti testified before The Motlanthe Commission where he objected to and questioned the integrity of panelists like Charity Manyeruke. Biti stated that he was giving testimony under protest.

Election to MDC Vice Presidency - 2019

At the first MDC Congress in May 2019 since the merger of the different groups, Welshman Ncube was elected the one of the party's 3 vice presidents. The others being Welshman Ncube and Lynette Karenyi.

Arrest after unearthing corruption involving a Russian

Opposition Movement for Democratic Change Alliance vice president, Tendai Biti, was arrested in 2020.

In a tweet, the MDC Alliance led by Nelson Chamisa said, “Biti Tendai is detained at CID Law & Order on a spurious charge of assault. His crime is unearthing a corruption scandal concerning the Harare Airport land deal involving complainant, Russian Tatiana Aleshina & businessmen linked to @edmnangagwa. Biti didn't assault her.”

Biti said in a tweet yesterday, the Harare Airport Road construction saga represents the biggest land heist in post colonial Zimbabwe.

“More than 200 hectares of prime Harare land were parceled to a notorious land baron .No amount of intimidation ,lies or abuse will stop justice & the return of this land to Harare”^[6]

Devolution

On devolution, Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA), Community Water Alliance (CWA) and Member of Parliament Rusty Markham went to court in 2023, and in October, the High Court ordered that:

Any or all of the respondents shall, within a period of six (6) months, that is to say, by 31 March 2021 submit a bill or Bills for gazetting by the Parliament of Zimbabwe which Bill or Bills will give effect to an Act of Parliament governing the devolution of powers as contemplated in Chapter 14 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe.

The Minister of Local Government Rural and Urban Development was the first respondent with the Minister of Justice Legal and Financial Affairs being the second respondent the Minister of Finance and Economic Development was the third respondent.
The matter was presided over by Justice Mushore. Residents were represented by Mr Tendai Biti, a member of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights. ^[7]

2023 CCC Primaries

It was reported on 18 June 2023 that Allan Markham (Rusty) former Harare North MP, won the Harare East Constituency CCC nomination for the August 2023 elections. He defeated former Harare East MP Tendai Biti - also CCC co-vice president. It will be the first time in 23 years that the former Minister of Finance will not be part of the country’s legislative house.

Posting on Twitter, journalist Hopewell Chin'ono said Biti’s defeat is a victory for corruption in the country. ^[8]

Mutapa Investment Fund

Another opinion says the Mutapa Investment Fund is a fiasco.

President Mnangagwa’s use of the Presidential Powers (Temporary Measures Act) to rename the Sovereign Wealth Fund to Mutapa Investment Fund and to transfer shareholding of 20 state-owned companies was done without the involvement of Parliament and therefore exposes the entities to looting.

The article lists comments from Tendai Biti, Nigel Chanakira, Tony Hawkins, Gift Mugano, Welshman Ncube and Victor Nyoni. They have criticized the move as:

• outside the President’s power’s’
• enabling the movement outside the country of foreign currency without oversight’ (allows money-laundering),
• based on misinformation that Zimbabwe has a budget surplus when public debt had increasing to $144 trillion’, “The inclusion of loss-making parastatals is just one more attempt to hide public finances from parliamentary scrutiny and pretend the national budget is in surplus when it is not,”
• usurping state assets and taking them from the state, because the government owns these parastatals and now Mutapa Investment Fund now owns them temporarily - particularly the government which does not have a clean record of transactions,
• government has never understood the role of a sovereign wealth fund - to use domestic surpluses from extractive industries like mining, which are depleting national wealth to diversify the economy. Away from dependence on a handful of mineral exports and tobacco. ^[9]

Further Reading

https://news.pindula.co.zw/2021/11/09/mdc-alliance-speaks-on-biti-abduction-reports/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+co%2FhyCZ+%28Pindula+News+2020%29

References