Tsvangirai fails to attend his 'Africa Day Mega Rally'

MDC T President, Morgan Tsvangirai on Sunday failed to turn up for his much publicised Africa Day Mega Rally with no clear cut reasons given.

According to sources very close to the party and Tsvangirai, the party President is said to have sent Organising Secretary Nelson Chamisa an SMS at about midday telling him that he was not attending the controversy stricken rally. Chamisa is said to then have battled to explain to the crowd and other party leaders that Tsvangirai was no longer coming because "he has a running tummy and a sore throat," which turned out to have been a cooked up excuse.

According to party insiders Tsvangirai was completely against the rally being held on a public holiday and more so at the Zimbabwe Grounds a ceremonial venue for Zimbabwean political rallies. Tsvangirai is said to have feared a low turn out at the huge venue which would have given a dent to the party.

True to Tsvangirai's fears, by 10:00 am the time at which the rally was meant to start, only a few people had arrived at the venue and most of them were arriving in buses from the neighbouring districts and other provinces. By mid day time which Tsvangirai was meant to take to the podium about 2000 were seated in the venue that has previously attracted crowds of 40 000 to 50 000 people. This according to reports is what could have infuriated Tsvangirai who then sent Chamisa an SMS telling him he was not attending the rally.

According to witnesses who were close to Chamisa at the venue, Chamisa and some party security details had been talking to Tsvangirai on the phone from about 10 am telling him to delay coming to the venue as there were still a few people in attendance. When at about mid day, Chamisa told the party President to delay by another hour or two, Tsvangirai dropped the phone and sent an SMS saying that he was not attending the rally before switching off his phone.

Tsvangirai has been holding a series of rallies mostly around Harare since the time that some members of his executive asked him to step down following the July 31 elections. According to party information, Chamisa has been organising the rallies for Tsvangirai some of which had been hastily and poorly organised with very little or no funding embarrassing the party and pushing it into further debts.

Tsvangirai is said to have been against the so called Africa Day MEGA Rally at the Zimbabwe Grounds a venue that is known for landmark political rallies. The Grounds hosted the country's two major political rallies after the war of liberation before the 1980 elections where both Joshua Nkomo and Robert Mugabe addressed their home coming rallies that attracted the biggest crowds ever witnessed at political rallies in Zimbabwe. Most recent both the MDC T and ZANU PF held their biggest rallies before the July 31 at the venue also attracting about 50 000 people each a crowd which the organisers of the MEGA Rally hoped for and never even got 10 percent of that figure angering Tsvangirai.

Sources that gave Bulawayo24 the information claim that they foresee a major fall out between Chamisa and Tsvangirai following the flopped rally. Following Tsvangirai's failure to attend the rally Acting Party Secretary General Tapuwa Mashakada addressed the rally failing to convince the small crowd why Tsvangirai had not pitched up with some leaving the venue before he finished speaking. Some left even earlier as soon as rumour started making rounds that Tsvangirai was snubbing the rally.