MDC A is limping from one disaster to another
Nelson Chamisa in a praying posture
By Tambanavo Chamanyawi
MDC ihuku inodya mazai ayo, loosely translated as MDC is a hen that eats its own eggs. Such a hen attracts burning of its beak, which means huku yakadai inopiswa murumo. The party is permanently locked in a self-destructive mode. This is precisely what is standing between MDC and power.
For all my 20 years of reporting politics, I have never come across a political party that is so insensitive to the plight of its supporters like MDC. Most people that I know who voluntarily served in the Party’s security department died painful deaths without any material support from the party.
MDC’s first Head of Intelligence Sox Chikowore in languishing in jail for a crime that he is alleged to have committed in defense of MDC supporters. Sox’s family is living from hand to mouth in Johannesburg’s Yeoville Township without any help from a party that he sacrificed so much for. Not even once has any of the MDCs issued a statement calling for justice to be accorded to Sox. The Party’s former Intelligence Director has been living in exile for more than two decades running away from political persecution in Harare. Sox has been in and out Zimbabwe since President Emmerson Mnangagwa promised immunity of prosecution to all the people who committed political motivated crimes. But Sox’s freedom ended when he flew into Harare from Johannesburg for the MDC-T congress. He was led to his slaughterers by his own Cdes. He was picked from Sheraton Hotel during an MDC Congress which elected Douglas Mwonzora President. He provided logistical support for his comrades to travel from South Africa to Harare for the Congress. Some say Thokozane Khupe ’supporters invited police to arrest him on charges of killing Zanu PF’s violent militia member Ali Manjengwa. Manjengwa was killed in Mbare in early 2000 at the height of street animosity between MDC and Zanu PF supporters. However, other sources claim that he was sold out by the other MDC outfit led by Nelson Chamisa for joining Mwonzora. Even though Zanu PF is rogue, but ukasairasisa iyo haikurasisi. The survival of Zanu PF is premised on its determination to take care of its own people. Zanu PF respects its founding members, but the same cannot be said about MDC. Ukangoburana naChamisa mangwana unofuma wonzi waiswa mudenga uchiroverwa pasi. The majority of genuine cadres who ended up seeking solace from Zanu PF found themselves being denounced as CIOs for differing with Chamisa. Some were running away from Cobra’s marauding members of his gestapo, the Vanguards.
Morgan Tsvangirai’s bodyguard, Nhamo Mhukahuru Musekiwa, died on a reed mat in South Africa’s crowded Township of Tembisa. This is the man who ducked and dived bullets to protect MDC founder Tsvangirai. The tale is the same with Remember Moyo, former driver and security man for the late MDC Vice President Gibson Sibanda. Moyo died a pauper in the dirty crowded street of Jeppe’s Town in Johannesburg. Another MDC activist, Mambo Rusere, who came into prominence for singing at MDC rallies died in abject poverty in Pretoria’s Shonganguve squatter camp. So any youth intending to take bullets on behalf of this outfit risk dying for rungire (nothing).
The kind of chaos associated with Machinja stinks to high heaven. People’s desperation for change has sustained MDC to this far and not necessarily the quality of leadership. The death of Tsvangirai eroded all the residual decency within the MDC leadership leaving the party to survive by montage and collage. The MDC leadership even starved their election agents of any provision to keep body and soul together while guarding the ballot boxes in 2018 elections. No formal training was provided at all. Even water was not supplied to election agents manning voting stations in Mberengwa, Rutenga and Chivi. Some MDC agents ended up begging for water and food from their Zanu PF counterparts, while others abandoned fort to avert starvation. Not even lemons. Such ugly developments were allowed to happen during such crucial elections even though MDC had received millions of dollars under the Political Finance Act. Such glaring neglect is not consistent with a Party which is positioning itself to take power in 2023. Those with inside information wonder why anyone should continue taking such a grouping serious. The party surely needs the services of Nyakutsikamutanda to muscle itself into the future. Zanu PF keeps its eyes on the ball. They take good care of its members especially those serving in its election machinery.
So chaotic is the way Party finances are administered to any extent that Heads of department are expected to personally bankroll operations in their portfolios. Some leaders in MDC A told Zimbabwe Observer that no one knows how the money paid from parliament in 2019 was spent. Even 2018 parliamentary candidates didn’t get any significant material support to pull through the elections, unlike during Tsvangirai’s days where they were given $20k to finance campaigns. Although MDC came to life as a labour back party, but some party employees are still owed salaries up-to this day. Employees entrusted with Party secrets and sensitive information were part of the lot that was sent home empty handed. Zimbabwe Observer understands that the Party had to cut deals with some disgruntled employees after threatening to publicly share party files with dark secrets. Such level of bungling is not in tune with the expectations of millions of Zimbabweans who are expecting political solace from MDC.
Most MDC leaders are filth rich and stay in the hilly suburbs of Glen Lorne, even though no effort is spared to make everyone believe that they are not in politics for money, fame, cars, and farms. Surprisingly they have everything on the above list which they claim not to be interested in. Party supporters are urged ku bvondorana nemapurisa when the leadership, their friends, and families vachi bvondora ma stands in councils which they run. There is one fat lie which is has been peddled for years to hoodwink supporters into thinking that MDC is not yet in power. Political power is on three levels, national, provincial, and municipal. MDC has been enjoying municipal power for more than a decade. Traces of corruption detected at national level are glaringly prevalent in most municipalities being run by MDC. Machinjas have failed to rise to the demands of the political space which they occupy. Instead, they are majoring in crying foul. They are forever accusing Zanu PF’s Local Government Ministers of sabotaging them in the councils. One would have expected these chaps to have formulated a superior formula to finance their councils’ operations without Zanu PF’s hand. As to why they expect Zanu PF to make it easy for them to run councils is too preposterous to merit even as a passing sneer.
If social media posts were anything to go by, MDC would be in power by 2023, but however reality on the ground as a different tale to make. Instead of investing their time, resources, and effort in capacitating themselves to take power after getting the people’s votes, these characters are forever waiting to criticize ED for his maneuvers. ED is working flat out to secure a victory in 2023 using his influence and resources as his disposal. He might be abusing his powers and diverting state resources to survive but at least he is doing something. Ngwena is bribing his way back to State House. A lot of MDC leaders who have not yet joined him are running after him, POLAD chaps are already singing from his hymn book after receiving luxury Isuzu trucks while the respected rhumba artist, Koffi Olomide gave ED a thumbs up. The MDC A is now a political shell without any legitimate owner, all thanks to ED’s political shenanigans. The Party ’state of affairs are so ugly to an extent that both Mwonzora and Chamisa are claiming ownership of the heart and soul of MDC A.
Candidate imposition is almost a political trademark of MDC. Most of the Party’s 2018 candidates were dictated from Harvest House which left MDC structures disoriented and disturbed. The sweet tune of democracy that is sang at rallies is at variance with what is practiced on the ground. One might be pardoned to think that there two constitutions for MDC, one for the bosses and the other for supporters. All party candidates chosen by members are vetoed by individuals in the Standing Committee. Statements like Bhiza renyu ramuri kumhanya naro haridiwi kumusoro uko navagere panyanga are common in MDC WhatsApp groups during election period. Mayors of all cities run by MDC were imposed and all candidates that were user friendly to an individual found themselves with mayoral chains hanging around their necks. This explains why we ended up having Herbert Gomba as the Harare Mayor. He was clearly not MDC’s best foot forward. And what followed his imposition is now a public secret which serves to confirm the reason why he was parachuted to the helm of Harare City Council. Cllr Ian Makone was the best candidate for the job, whose credibility is within the ranks of the respected former mayor Ben Manyenyeni. The Public Relations list of councillors and MPs also fell prey to manipulations giving an individual a leeway to openly put such appointments on a market. This explains why we ended up having Passion Java’s late mother Christine Rambanepasi as Senator for Buhera District. Any active mind should question why one lass from a privileged background, who contested against an MDC A candidate in Mouth Pleasant ended up being the face of a party she is not a member.
The MDC A grouping is not a united lot. Apart from being a bunch of cowards, they are heavily divided. I have never seen a such a party with leaders that hate each other like that. They bad mouth each other at every corner, turn and event. They create social media accounts using fake names to undress, attack and insult each other on Facebook and twitter. Party secrets and minutes of standing committee meetings easily end up on social media. There are even periods when standing committee meetings came to a standstill as members boycotted what they call ‘Nero’s autocratic leadership style.’ The majority of standing committee meetings degenerate in tongue lashing sessions as the insecure Chamisa accuse his lieutenants of either trying to take away his position or sabotaging him. The working environment is so toxic to an extent that Standing Committee Members suspect each other of working for ED. The tense and loaded situation in the party. The toxicity in the party structures is unsustainable and no organisation can survive divisions of this magnitude. Just imagine that these chaps can’t even share tea or biscuits during meetings as was the norm during Tsvangirai’s days at the helm of MDC. None of them know where colleagues stay. Quite a crazy environment which they operate in. All four Members of the Standing Committee, who spoke to Zimbabwe Observer believe that CIOs were crawling in the party’s top structures. Just imagine such level of paralysis. They don’t even visit each other! Such a fractious house is bound to fall. None of Chamisa ’subordinates have been inside his home. Unlike Tsvangirai who used to summon his subordinates to his home, Chamisa prefers to visit them since MDC A is now a Briefcase party with neither a secretariat nor offices.
None of the standing committee members except for Vice President Tendai Biti and Vice Chairman Job Sikhala are prepared to lead street protests, which is the only language which can force ED’s regime to take MDC A serious. If these chaps are not prepared to die for what they believe in, whose blood should water the tree of Zimbabwe’s freedom? The youth wing of Chamisa’s outfit are forever issuing threats on social media but have never mobilised their supporters to streetify the struggle. They are forever ranting and raving but immediately vanish like morning dew as soon as the masses gather to get the next line of march. Aah! Magwara anotyisa. They give themselves highly decorated militant names like Bvondo or commander, but not even a single day have they bvondora anything. Chamisa even came out publicly that he was not prepared to be a dead hero. There is a danger that the masses might start seeing through their cowardice which spells doom to future attempts to get supporters in the streets.
Drastic changes in terms of leadership is the only remedy needed to give back MDC its 1999 sting.
—Tambanavo Chamamyawi is a renowned media and political commentator and is writing in his own personal capacity and views expressed here are not necessarily shared by Zimbabwe Observer
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