by Grace Chekai
The opposition party, MDC-Alliance continues to lose support from its erstwhile strongholds, Harare Post can reveal.
The waning support has recently manifested in the recently held Students Representative Council elections at Hillside Teachers College in Bulawayo. Bulawayo itself used to be an MDC-Alliance stronghold.
A contact said Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU), an MDC-Alliance ally, lost to Zimbabwe Congress of Students Union (ZICOSU) which is aligned to the ruling ZANU PF party.
"ZICOSU garnered eight out of the twelve positions leaving only four positions for ZINASU. This came as a huge blow to our MDC-Alliance leader who was hitherto thinking that he had support from the students," said the contact.
The contact said that fear was now mounting in the opposition party such that it had gone to an extent of tasking their party Deputy Secretary of Education, Precious Bopoto and Secretary for Elections, Jacob Mafume who is currently the Harare City Mayor, to mobilise funds to sponsor ZINASU.
"Chamisa has ordered Bopoto and Mafume to find ways of generating funds so that they can sponsor student politics. Mafume in his capacity as Mayor of Harare was directed to use his position and influence to sell some council stands so that the proceeds can be channeled towards ZINASU and boost it ahead of a series of forthcoming elections,” said the contact.
However, the contact said that sponsorship within the MDC-Alliance was now a cause for concern due to donor fatigue.
The MDC-Alliance used to dominate tertiary institutions during its hey days when it was still receiving sponsorship from the United States of America and other civil society organizations (CSOs) like Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA). However, these organisations according to the contact, have since lost trust in the opposition party and no longer willing to fund their activities.
Most of the MDC-Alliance supporters are now engaging in illegal demonstrations so as to gain sympathy from their western sponsors upon their arrest.
Last month, the Zimbabwe National Students Union (ZINASU) leader Takudzwa Ngadziore was arrested for participating in a gathering with intent to promote public violence after he allegedly addressed a press conference at OK Mart near Impala Car Rental premises, where he had been banned by the court.
