Tsvangirai fails to turn up, MDC-T demonstration fails to hit target

ABOUT 4 000 people yesterday took part in an MDC-T demonstration in Bulawayo, a far cry from the 30 000 that the organisers had expected to take part in the event.

Protestors marched mainly against the introduction of bond notes, the alleged Government's "interference" in municipalities, and corruption in Government, among other issues. The crowd included the party's national leadership, supporters from different parts of the country with some from the neighbouring two Matabeleland provinces led by some of their provincial leaders.

In an interview outside the Bulawayo City Hall Car Park where the protestors had gathered before the start of the march, MDC-T Bulawayo provincial spokesperson Mr Mandla Sibanda said they expected about 30 000 people to take part in the march. "Some in the western areas are still trying to get transport to come here but we are attending to the transport problem," he said.

Marchers said the march had been scheduled to start at 10am but only kicked off about an hour-and-a-half later as protestors trickled in.

Speaking at the end of the march at the Luna Park open area near Connaught Avenue in Bulawayo's Central Business District, MDC-T secretary-general Mr Douglas Mwonzora, said the protest was a "provincial" event. He said one would have to "multiply by 10 (the number of people who took part in the protest to get a national figure".

However, Mr Mwonzora claimed: "there were more people in this march than the Million-Man-March", although the crowd was clearly smaller than that which took part in the Zanu-PF Youth League organised march on Africa Day in Harare last week in solidarity with President Mugabe.

During yesterday's MDC-T demonstration, some marchers had placards with messages attacking President Mugabe and Zanu-PF with many of the placards, however, asking the Government to "Hands off from our municipalities". Other placards were also against bringing under microscope the Egodini Bus Terminus Mall project.

Recently, the Government sent a team to probe the affairs of the MDC-T controlled Bulawayo City Council amid allegations of corruption with the Deputy Mayor, Mr Gift Banda - who is also the chairman of the party's provincial committee which organised yesterday's event being fingered.

Some of the placards had messages to do with the alleged externalisation of about $15 billion in diamonds revenue which President Mugabe wants probed. Although the march had most of the party's national leadership, MDC-T president Mr Morgan Tsvangirai, was absent as he has not been feeling well and had to be taken to South Africa for treatment.

His deputy, Ms Thokozani Khupe, was introduced as the party's acting president and addressed the protestors at the end of the march. She spoke strongly against the proposed introduction of bond notes although admitting that banks had long queues of people because of the liquidity constraints facing the country. Ms Khupe said the Government should work on the economic environment that will result in the attraction of investment into the country but did not give a short term answer to the problem.

The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) Governor John Mangudya is on record as saying the introduction of "bond notes" was an answer to the enduring liquidity crunch and an attempt to stimulate the country's ailing economy. The notes will come in $2, $5, $10 and $20 denominations, and will be backed by $200 million from the African Export Import Bank (Afreximbank).