Mwonzora says MDC Alliance is unstable

MDC Alliance president Douglas Mwonzora has conceded serious infighting in his party ahead of their elective congress amid reports that party chairman Morgen Komichi was considering jumping ship to the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC).

In a leaked audio in possession of NewsDay, Mwonzora can be heard admitting that his party is in disarray due to factionalism and plots to oust him.

Mwonzora encouraged his party members to continue pushing for dialogue with the ruling Zanu-PF party.

"We stay together in the standing committee and we have some people who will go outside the meeting and sell information about our party, and what we will be discussing over the phone," Mwonzora said in the audio.

"We also have such people in the youth assembly, please youth assembly defend your party. We have serious infighting within the party and there is a lot of mudslinging, and the party is unstable.  People are planning a vote of no confidence against one another.  Why are you doing that before congress?"

In the audio, Mwonzora is also heard saying dialogue will bring food on the table for his party members.

"If we win elections and have dialogue, we are going to have a lot of food and there would be more positions."

He said he was aware of people from his party who were engaged in dialogue with the Nelson Chamisa-led CCC party, in what sources yesterday said was a direct attack on Komichi.

Komichi told NewsDay that he was indeed aware of the allegations, but said people were eager to tarnish his image ahead of the congress.

"I have been told about these allegations by my friends and it's not true that I want to join the CCC. We are going to congress and so people are eager to tarnish my image. I am a person who is able to speak out his mind," Komichi said.

CCC party deputy spokesperson Gift Ostallos Siziba, however, said: "I am not aware of the talks with Komichi.  If there is anything, we will approach the media as we usually do."

Mwonzora is also being accused of delaying to announce the congress dates because he reportedly fears defeat after his party's disastrous performance during the March 26 by-elections this year.

MDC-A party spokesperson Witness Dube said: "There are going to be provincial congresses before we announce the dates of the congress, and there are going to be provincial nominations which are going to be advertised in newspapers."

Some of the candidates expected to challenge Mwonzora are his deputy Elias Mudzuri, Norest Marara and Komichi.