by John Sigauke

A contact within the troubled MDC-Alliance revealed that, among other pressures that forced Nelson Chamisa to make a volte-face on Parliament boycott, was a threat of an embarrassing demonstration by the spouses of that party’s legislators, the Harare Post has heard.

The beleaguered MDC leader is said to have confirmed during a recent National Standing Committee meeting that the spouses of that party’s legislators had mounted pressure on him to reverse the boycott strategy.

“There was need to review the party’s Parliament disengagement strategy because of complaints by the legislators who are raising concerns regarding their livelihoods. I have also received numerous calls from spouses of some legislators demanding the reversal of the boycott strategy,” Chamisa is reported to have revealed during the National Standing Committee held at Morgan Richard Tsvangirai House, this Tuesday.

Contact said a group of 33 spouses (all women) of the MDC-A legislators wrote to Chamisa complaining that his strategy was a threat to their families’ livelihoods. The spouses reportedly threatened to lay siege to MRTH in the nude in protest against “the insensitive strategy.” Chamisa was given Wednesday as the ultimatum.

Contact said although most of the legislators were pro-Chamisa, they were against disengagement. However, he said, most of them could not come in the open for fear of victimisation. As such, they fronted their wives.

Meanwhile, Charlton Hwende reported in the NSC meeting that Parliament had written to the recalled legislators demanding full payment in two weeks, of US$105 000 they received under the Parliament vehicle loan scheme. He also informed that the letters were also copied to ZIMRA.

The former Kuwadzana East legislator also informed the NSC that his contact at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development had told him that the Ministry, guided by the court ruling, was soon going to channel the funds which they used to receive under the Political Parties Act, to MDC-T.