FORMER MDC legislator Albert Mhlanga, who recently defected to the ruling Zanu PF party, has fiercely rejected claims that he is a “sellout” after his ex-allies in the opposition questioned his motive.
Mhlanga, the former MDC legislator for Pumula, formally joined the ruling party on November 14 alongside former Entumbane-Makhandeni legislator Dingilizwe Tshuma.
They were received at the party’s headquarters in Harare by senior Zanu PF officials Munyaradzi Machacha and Webster Shamu.
In an interview on Tuesday, Mhlanga said criticism from his former allies in the opposition that he was a sellout was misplaced.
“Selling out what? Who is the buyer and seller? Who is the commodity and valued at what price?” Mhlanga told Southern Eye.
He dismissed the label as “an old saying by politicians who lack focus and strategy and a surrender position for failed politicians”.
Mhlanga described his new political home as a structured “people’s party” and a “game-changer”, asserting that it is not owned by any single individual.
“Decisions are not made by an individual,” Mhlanga said, contrasting it with his former political affiliations.
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In a bold declaration of his new allegiance, Mhlanga claimed that removing Zanu PF from power is an impossible dream.
“Those who still dream of opposing Zanu PF are just like people dreaming to remove Mt Kilimanjaro using picks and shovels,” he said.
When asked if his defection was motivated by financial incentives from wealthy individuals within Zanu PF, Mhlanga said he was not lured with anything.
“Political parties don’t have money — Yes, there are individuals in Zanu PF who are rich, but those are their personal monies and cannot lure me,” he indicated.
Mhlanga once served as councillor and deputy mayor of Bulawayo, and as a Member of Parliament for Pumula under the MDC.
He and Tshuma were among the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) members who criticised candidate imposition in Bulawayo ahead of the 2023 elections.
Mhlanga and Tshuma were in the political wildness after failing to secure nomination to represent CCC in the 2023 elections.
