MDC Alliance's R27 000 vanishes

MDC-Alliance's preparations for a demonstration next Tuesday reportedly in disarray after the disappearance of 27 000 Rand which was earmarked to cater for logistics for the day.

The missing funds have reportedly opened fresh wounds and widened fissures in the beleaguered party that is plagued by incessant infighting blamed on factionalism.

Sources in the party said the missing funds were donated by MDC-Alliance South Africa Province for party youths who are supposed to "lead from the front" during the Masvingo leg of the mass protests.

Masvingo MDC-Alliance provincial chair Mr Kudakwashe Bhadharai was the one who allegedly sourced the funds from South Africa and reportedly handed them over to the provincial leadership led by Mr James Gumbi to among other things buy refreshments and food for youths on the day of protests.

Now party insiders say the planned demonstrations faces a stillbirth as provincial party leaders haggle over the missing funds amid accusations and counter-accusations of financial impropriety that threaten further widen existing factional cracks.

So bad is the situation over the missing funds that the party leadership had to call an emergency provincial executive meeting last weekend to try and find common ground amid fears the Masvingo planned demonstration now hangs in the balance.

MDC-Alliance Masvingo provincial spokesperson Mr Derrick Charamba denied there was missing money and blamed unnamed party officials for trying to taint other party officials. Mr Charamba said there was no money donated by MDC-Alliance from South Africa for next Tuesday's demonstrations in Masvingo.

"There is no such thing as donated money that is missing in MDC (Alliance) in Masvingo, nobody donated any money and those people (MDC-A South Africa) have no such kind of money for them to donate any money to us, they have no money," he said.

"What is actually happening is that there might people some people out to smear others within the party leadership in the province. This is all work of people out to smear others, you know this unnecessary fighting that is taking place, these are petty fights."

 Mr Bhadharai was diplomatic when asked whether he sourced any money from South Africa and indeed the money in question was missing.

"You are a journalist my brother and you know that protocol says it is only the spokesperson who is mandated to speak to the media. If the spokesperson has spoken to you that is the official party position, I have nothing more or less to say to you," he said.