by Tinotenda Mutasa

The much hyped MDC demonstration against President Emmerson Mnangagwa in New York, United States, on the side-lines of the United Nations General Assembly turned out to be a major flop on Saturday as only a handful of asylum seekers and beneficiaries turned up.

The demo was supposed to commence by way of a march from the Zimbabwean Embassy to the United Nations building, but the march had to be abandoned after only 3 people turned up at the Embassy. The situation did not improve at the UN building as less than ten clueless-looking people were present.

Speaking to this publication, one of the participants, Thomas Devera, admitted that President Mnangagwa’s charm offensive had rendered the demo futile. “It’s unfortunate that some of our members are now backtracking in terms of commitment to the party. They seem to have fallen for the crocodile’s smile, forgetting that we ended up here as a result of the same Zanu PF government. Anyway, even if we remain with only 5 members, we will still fight on, let those who have joined Zanu PF, enjoy their freedom of choice.”

The MDC demo came at a time when President Mnangagwa is being warmly received by the international community, having conducted a series of enlightening interviews with several US media houses leading up to the UN General Assembly. Back home, Government has already started a number of developmental projects that have thawed even some of the fiercest critics, leaving MDC hard-line supporters in a lurch.