Mwonzora's speech booed at May Day commemorations

THE opposition MDC-T got a rude awakening Sunday when an unapologetic crowd at this year's Workers' day celebrations in Harare forced the party's organising secretary Gift Chimanikire off the stage.

Chimanikire spent a good three minutes speaking to himself as he was roundly booed while trying to deliver his president Douglas Mwonzora's solidarity speech.

Even with the microphone a few centimetres away from his mouth and a booming public address system, Chimanikire was drowned out by the livid crowd which demanded that he leaves the podium.

His was going to be the second solidarity speech after Zanu PF, whose speech surprisingly went on with little drama from the dominantly CCC crowd.

Efforts by ZCTU secretary general Japhet Moyo to calm the angry crown only made it worse, as some starting singing songs against him and his party, accusing Mwonzora of being a sellout.

"We do not want you here; go away," they shouted continuously.

Eventually Chimanikire had to walk the "long" 15 metres, back to his spot in the VIP.

The MDC-T and its alliance partners have been accused of having sold out by opposition activists.

Barely a week ago, the party was described as a Zanu PF puppet by a British parliamentarian.