Fight at Africa Unity Square as activists meet

SERIOUS disagreements over donor money and personality clashes have all but snuffed out a protest that had been organised by opposition-linked activists in Harare's Africa Unity Square.

The so-called #16DayOccupation (June 1-16, 2016) was organised by a little known Zimbabwe Activist Alliance led by Lynette Tendai Mudehwe who, sensing the flop that it has been so far, had gone on to invite other groups and personalities to shore up numbers.

Among those invited was Patson Dzamara, brother to Itai, the lonesome activist who last year came up with the failed idea of "Occupy Africa Unity Square" involving sit-ins at the public square by activists protesting against the government before he "disappeared".

Itai's so-called disappearance has been used by the opposition MDC-T and other activists to try to mould a tragic, heroic figure to rally anti-government sentiment.

Activists have also unsuccessfully tried to paint Africa Unity Square in the same symbolism.

The invitation of the younger Dzamara, as well as promises of donor money, has immediately set the cat among the pigeons.

Sources close to the developments say that Patson has tried to wrestle leadership of the initiative from Mudehwe and a war of words has erupted among the activists.

The Crisis Coalition in Zimbabwe, an umbrella body of foreign sponsored quasi-political groups, recently dangled thousands of dollars to fund initiatives around Itai Dzamara, and this has added fuel to the divisions among the activists.

On Monday, Mudehwe accused Patson of being "a pathetic glory hunter".

"Tow (sic) the line or stay away…We all don't want this madness spilling into the media," warned Mudehwe in a conversation on WhatsApp seen by our Harare Bureau.

"Lynnette stop your nonsense. U know u won't get past me wt your shallow nonsense," shot back the younger Dzamara.

Patson then accused Mudehwe of seeking to monopolise the "occupation".

"Get over your inflated ego. Occupying didn't start today. U r the one who wants to derail the process actually. And hell no, not a chance. That's not going to happen," he said, to which the latter scoffed saying she could not "derail an initiative we invited everyone to".

So heated was the exchange that other activists were left ruing how the initiative had gone off the rails.

Said Dirk Frey, one of the few activists that originally sat out with Itai said: "Dirty laundry in public is killing our movement".

"..If you (Mudehwe) and Doctor (Patson) insist on fighting here, I will find you boxing gloves," he quipped.

But the warring parties would not relent and Patson accused Mudehwe of alcoholism saying, "all u do is to go drink while Lynda (Manyawu) does the work".

"I have had enough of this inebriated lady… I will rest my case by stating this. This Lynnete lady is a python. Nyoka chaiyo…. And your responsibility is to go inebriate your already inebriated mind and then come back to try and disrupt the work."

Mudehwe would not take it lying down saying, "You stop your nonsense of hijacking initiatives instead of participating or supporting. Inga we support your prayer meetings wani. You can come talk about drinking all you want here. I'm not your child but an adult free to do what they want."

Meanwhile, our Harare Bureau has it on good authority that on Monday Mudehwe lost her phone in the Africa Unity Square park during a night vigil and accused Patson of stealing it for the purpose of tracking her movements.

She has not made a police report.

Insiders say that Patson is being viewed with suspicion among the activists.

"He performs rituals at night, and he carries around tobacco snuff for the purpose," said a source.

He is also accused of being an "agent" of Temba Mliswa, a former Zanu-PF chairman who has since formed Youth Advocacy for Reform and Democracy, a pressure group he seeks to transform into a political party.

"People are asking where Patson was when we were protesting with Itai. He only joined when Itai disappeared and we never knew him in the trenches.

"Now he is bringing people like Acie Lumumba and Temba Mliswa. We suspect that this is an attempt to hijack the initiative for the benefit of YARD," another source revealed.

Mudehwe has played down divisions within the camp.

"The occupation is about the plight of suffering Zimbabweans that the government must address and not individuals," she told our Harare Bureau on Monday.