Mwonzora leaves MDC Alliance partner stranded

ZANU Ndonga secretary general Farai Mudzingwa was left stranded after MDC-T leader, Douglas Mwonzora reneged on his earlier promise to surrender the party's share of the political grant he received from the Treasury recently.

Mudzingwa had travelled to Harare from his Chimanimani base to collect the money, only to find himself aground with no accommodation, food and transport fees despite having been assured the money was ready for collection at the party's Morgan Richard Tsvangirai House headquarters last weekend.

It has since emerged that Mudzingwa later contacted MDC-T national chairman Morgen Komichi, who only sent him ZW$1 500 via ecocash.

However, Komichi has refuted the claims stating that Zanu Ndonga is only trying to create unnecessary drama.

"The truth is that people tend to create drama when it is not even necessary," Komichi said.

"First, I'm not the party treasurer, financial transactions are done by our treasurer, Tapiwa Mashakada. What you have seen was just a friendly transaction between me and Mudzingwa and was not done on behalf of the party, so it is not true that MDC-T gave him ZW$1 500."

"The correct position also is that Mudzingwa did not come all the way from Chipinge for the rally. He was already in Harare, and we have been attending meetings together for the past three weeks and he was coming from a local base," said Komichi.

Komichi also said all the officials who attended the Saturday rally in Harare were well catered for.

"The event was highly organised," he said.

Zanu-PF and the opposition led by Mwonzora in January received half a billion dollars ahead of the March 26 local council and parliamentary by-elections.

The money was availed by the Treasury through the justice ministry.

Under the Political Parties (Finance) Act, parties with representation in parliament are entitled to funding proportionate to the size of that representation.

Zanu-PF got the bigger share of ZW$350 150 000 translating to 70,3%, while MDC-T pocketed ZW$149 850 000.

The MDC Alliance is a coalition of seven political parties including Zanu Ndonga, as such the members say they were set to benefit but were left in the open after trying to claim their share.

But Zanu Ndonga insisted that Mwonzora played the hard ball on them.

"The MDC-T's leadership has made countless promises that they would make the payment since last week and till today our interim secretary general is now desperate and homeless in Harare," the party's Manicaland provincial youth secretary for information Stanley Mutambwa.

According to Mutambwa, on the March 2 this year, a resolution was made that all MDC Alliance partners would use their allocated grant to mobilise supporters and members for the Alliance National Peace Star Rally that was set for last Sunday at Zimbabwe Grounds.

He said Mashakada was now not answering their calls.

"Our S.G ended up approaching MDC T National Chairman Senator Morgen Komichi who gave him ZW$1500 via ecocash and told him to go back home to Chimanimani," Mutambwa he wrote in a statement to NewZimbabwe.com.

"What an insult? $1500 is not enough to go to Chimanimani. Zanu-Ndonga is appealing to President Mwonzora to stop playing games with Alliance partners.

Mutambwa also said Mudzingwa was previously also asked to borrow money so that he could attend Mwonzora's Bulawayo rally and would get a refund, but the promise was not fulfilled.

He said they are now questioning him on his legitimacy.

He also said Zanu Ndonga was weighing its options on whether to remain in the MDC Alliance or align with Mwonzora's arch-rival Nelson Chamisa's Citizens Coalition for Change outfit.