MDC awarded US$90,000 in showdown over Bulawayo party offices

The MDC, led by Douglas Mwonzora, has taken ownership of the opposition party offices in Bulawayo previously occupied by the Citizen Coalition for Change (CCC) and youths aligned to Nelson Chamisa.

The MDC was also awarded US$90,000 in compensation from the CCC by the courts, ending speculation about the ownership of the property.

The property, named the Gertrude Mthombeni House, is situated at Number 41 Fort Street between Second and Third Avenue in Bulawayo and has been housing the CCC for its activities.

Soon after Chamisa resigned as CCC leader, youth aligned with him went to the party office, repainted it blue from yellow, and hung his portrait on the precast wall.

The blue colour indicated a new political movement spearheaded by former CCC members Gift Ostallos Siziba and Moses Chibaya, who claimed that Chamisa would lead it.

However, the MDC stepped in, stating it owned the building and asked the CCC or the Blue Movement supporters to vacate the property immediately.

The CCC and Sengezo Tshabangu, posing as its interim Secretary General, went to court seeking spoliation damages from Chamisa, arguing that Chamisa's supporters forcibly took "control, occupation, and possession" of the building by painting the whole offices and precast wall, which was "unlawful, prejudicial, and amounts to spoliation."

In a recent development, the MDC has gained control, with the courts awarding Mwonzora's party US$90,000 as compensation from the CCC.

"We were in Bulawayo to officially hand over our offices to the provincial leadership. As you know, our offices in Fort Street were occupied by criminals who came and took our offices and painted them yellow. Then the criminals came again and repainted them blue," said Mwonzora while addressing journalists in Bulawayo on Saturday.

"As the MDC, we thought enough was enough and decided to take our offices back."

The MDC leader said they decided to use the courts instead of using violence.

"One, the courts ruled that we must get our offices back, and two, the courts said the MDC must be paid US$90,000 by the CCC for having used these offices."

Mwonzora said the party had already committed to use that US$90,000 for the party's mobilisation efforts in Matabeleland.

He added that the MDC will proceed to take back its offices in other areas such as Gwanda, Hwange, Gweru, and Kwekwe.

"The offices in Gweru are still occupied by a confusion of the CCC and the Blue Movement, and in Masvingo, we took the office last week. We are going to have a special ceremony just like the one we had in Bulawayo next Saturday," Mwonzora said.

"We are determined to take our offices back and determined to end lawlessness in the opposition."

The MDC leader said he had written letters to Chamisa, Tshabangu, and Professor Welshman Ncube, informing them of the same, but they did not respond.

"They did not respond, and they also did not offer resistance. I want to thank them for that," Mwonzora said, adding that the opposition in Zimbabwe must respect each other.

"We, as the opposition MDC, stand for the unity of the opposition and all progressive forces in Zimbabwe."

Mwonzora further explained that the case that Tshabangu had taken to court concerning the party house was about possession of the office, which he claimed had been taken over by another faction of the CCC, calling itself the Blue Movement.

"We are not talking about possession. We are talking about ownership, and we do own the property. It is in the name of the MDC. We have the title deeds and bought this property from a prominent businessman in Bulawayo well before 2011 and well before the CCC was formed," said the MDC leader.

"This was well before Sengezo Tshabangu became the Sengezo Tshabangu that we know today, well before Nelson Chamisa abdicated his party. We have superior responsibilities, and we are not going to be sharing our ownership."