GIFFORD Sibanda, the Ibhetshu LikaZulu spokesperson, has resigned from the once vibrant pressure group following revelations that Secretary General Mbuso Fuzwayo is now working hand in glove with Zanu PF to ensure President Emmerson Mnangagwa's ambitions for a term extension are realised.
The group, which in the past was declared a public enemy with some of its members arrested and locked up for standing up to the Zanu PF government, is the second applicant in a Constitutional Court application veiled as an attempt to stop Mnangagwa's 2030 plan.
Sengezo Tshabangu's lawyer, Nqobile Sithole and Method Ndlovu are representing Fuzwayo and Ibhetshu LikaZulu.
According to reports, Sibanda's resignation emanates from knowledge that Fuzwayo has been tasked to challenge the illegal attempts to have Mnangagwa hang on, and lose.
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This will thereby open avenues for Zanu PF's resolution to extend his second term actionably without any legal hindrances and possible challenges.
This, however, remains unconfirmed as Fuzwayo's number was not going through when NewZimbabwe.com sought to get his comment on the allegations. His WhatsApp number was also not receiving messages.
"It is with a heavy heart that I tender my resignation from Ibhetshu LikaZulu, effective immediately," reads Sibanda's letter to Fuzwayo.
"This decision comes after deep reflection on the current direction and approach the organisation has taken in the struggle against Zanu PF.
"Unfortunately, I find that this route diverges from my own beliefs, principles, and the foundational values that Ibhetshu LikaZulu has long stood for.
"This is not an easy decision. Ibhetshu LikaZulu has been a home of conscience and courage - a movement that stood firmly with the oppressed and gave voice to the voiceless."
Sibanda and Fuzwayo had been comrades in arms for years, in the trenches against first late President Robert Mugabe and his harsh Zanu PF regime to the current.
A resolution by Zanu PF last year mandated the party's secretary for justice to initiate the process that will extend Mnangagwa's second and final term, which is supposed to end in 2028. The party wants it "lengthened" to 2030.
The involvement of exiled former minister in Mugabe's government, Jonathan Moyo, has raised the stakes as he is a known strategist and thinker.
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The resolution, which has threatened to split the revolutionary institution and riddled it with factional fights, was reinforced at its recent People's Conference hosted in Mutare.
