Fresh headache for Chamisa's Alliance

MDC Alliance is on a knife edge, as major partner, MDC-T is demanding that its partners step up and show that they deserve constituencies they were allocated in the alliance agreement.

Sources in the MDC-T said there was a general outcry in the party, as it appears that other members of the alliance were failing to step up and bring supporters to the table.

"the MDC-T is worried that other parties in the alliance are mere briefcase parties looking to use the brand MDC-T and Morgan Tsvangirai to get jobs for themselves and this is not acceptable, we are now demanding that they step up or lose some of the seats allocated to them," the source said.

MDC- T vice-president, Elias Mudzuri expressed his disquiet in a post on Twitter, becoming the highest profile figure to publicly demand that partners step up.

"While our MDC Alliance rallies are important, the election-winning formula lies in constituency and ward-based campaign strategies.

"Our alliance partners also need to be more visible on the ground to address communities and stakeholders, where they are strong," he wrote.

In an effort to address the niggling problem, MDC Alliance leaders have agreed to split and address rallies separately, while they also up their mobilisation tempo.

"It is clear that all rallies so far held by the alliance, it has been a sea of red, we have the support, but our partners are not being fair, they are not bringing what they promised to the table, we have tried now to allow them to also address rallies without having to go where [MDC-T leader, Nelson] Chamisa goes," another source said.

The new push is to safeguard parliamentary seats for alliance principals and members of their executives, while leaving the rest of the seats to the MDC-T.

The alliance will then contest the polls under MDC-T colours and logo.

"We think that these guys in the alliance should not continue complaining about seats allocation as long as the principals and their executives have seats that should be enough, they are riding on our wave," a source claimed.

MDC Alliance spokesperson, Welshman Ncube, however, said while they were aware of the disgruntlement among members and contests for council and parliamentary seats, the alliance was stronger than it ever was.

"It is common cause that some parties are stronger and others are weaker than others, but we are working together, it is a collective effort to mobilise and win the elections from council, to Parliament and the presidency.

So we are trying to have conversations with our members from wards all the way to province so that they understand the need to work as a collective," he said.

MDC-T youth leader, Happymore Chidziva, said they were guided by Tsvangirai's vision and Chamisa's wisdom.

"Our late leader gave us a vision and it guides us, that vision is carried by the wisdom of our president, with the guidance of our national council and party membership, there is unity in numbers make no mistake, we are on the ground with our peers talking to the heart of Zimbabwe as an alliance," he said.

Chamisa's spokesperson, Luke Tamborinyoka had not responded to questions sent to him earlier during the week, while the party's spokesperson, Tabitha Kumalo was unreachable.