Biti Regrets Tweet That Torched A Social Media Storm

MDC Vice President Tendai Biti has said he regrets posting a tweet that was viewed by social media users as stereotyping people who come from Chipinge over widespread unconfirmed beliefs that witchcraft is practised the most in that region in Zimbabwe. Using the same platform he has used to post the comment, Biti said he regrets his tweet with Madhuku adding that it should have never been in the public. We present below his Twitter thread:

In the afternoon I pulled down a tweet made in connection with ProfMaduku’s interpretation of section 96(2) of the constitution.The context of that tweet is explained below. Clearly in my banter with Lovemore , whom I have known for over 20 years & worked with very closely in the law , in the struggle & in personal spaces I overlooked the huge extent of the fragile national question marginalization alienation and exclusion of certain communities in Zimbabwe.I have lived with this discrimination & exclusion throughout my life.

I have recently seen this isolation & disillusionment on our recent visit to Chilonga. Chipinge is no different. Ironically like Chiredzi it was part of the Gaza State established by Soshangaan &his descendant Ngungunyana With the fall of the Gaza State colonial Rhodesia plundered Gazaland

The native Ndau ,Tsonga, Shangaan communities were plundered off their land into Tribal Reserves such as Musikavanhu, Muusha , Mutema, Mtambara, Sengwezi,Ngorima North & South. Settlers took thousands of acres with one family, the Moodie family grabbing 108 000 acres

Post to independent Zim has totally ignored this region save a scattering of a few irrigation schemes. Cyclone Idai brutally exposed the regime’s exclusion of Gazaland now Chipinge. Part of the reason was regime’s hatred &fear of Reverend Ndabaningi Sithole, the founder of #ZANU As a young lawyer I had the honor & privilege of defending Rev Sithole in his treason trial of 1997. I spent huge amounts of time with him at his home in Waterfalls.

He left personal notes & some prison notebooks. He is easily the most brilliant Zimbabwean I ever came across I can see easily why Mugabe’s regime hated him. They wrongly convicted him of treason, stripped him of his parliamentary seat, took away Churu farm & even in death denied him national hero status. He was not the only one from Manicaland.They killed Chitepo, Duri &abused Tekere.

They haunted Morgan Tsvangirai assaulted Madhuku &many others. They can’t suddenly pretend to love Chipinge & Manicaland now. Only recently they allowed Billy Rottonbach to grab thousands of hectares from Chisumbanje for his ethanol project. Thousands of villagers were displaced. Many fled to Mozambique & have not returned. None were compensated despite the billions Rottonbach makes. His trucks have destroyed roads to Che Che yet he is not accountable. So I will not accept hypocrisy from a regime that has brutalized & murdered millions.

.Throughout my life I have fought discrimination injustice exclusion & alienation. My legal career has been predominantly an attempt to use the law as an instrument of social justice & as a defender of human rights. A murderous regime & its cronies can not change that The rights of our people, the rights of Ethnic Minorities in our Zim is an issue so key to our struggle & the political party I proudly belong.

On Thursday in Parliament we will lead a motion that will undress regime’s mistreatment & abuse of ethnic minorities. We will not rest In conclusion & for the avoidance of doubt I regret my tweet with Lovemore and am sorry for its pub stereotype banter. I have known Madhuku for years & we have shared a life together in 3 different spheres. It was mistake to share things that are privately said in jest. Zikomo