By Dakarai Tembo
It never rains but pours for MDC Alliance leader, Nelson Chamisa, who is now up in arms with all his deputies as they continue to showcase their distaste in his leadership.
In the latest twist of the MDC Alliance circus, the Harare Post is effectively informed that plans are underway to recall MDC Alliance Vice President, Professor Welshman Ncube, at the instigation of Chamisa. Prof Ncube has been hosting a series of clandestine meetings at his former party (MDC-N) offices without giving feedback to his boss, who apparently did not take this act of insubordination lightly.
MDC Alliance National Chairperson, Thabitha Khumalo, has already been tasked by Chamisa to oversee that party’s Security Department’s new directive to collect all incriminating evidence that can be used against Prof Ncube. Plans are that Prof Ncube be recalled using Section five paragraph 11 of the MDC Alliance’s constitution which stipulates that “the National Council (by a 2/3 majority of all its members is of the opinion that his/her continued membership would be seriously detrimental to the interests of the party.”
An MDC Alliance source that confided to this publication gave out that Chamisa was irked by the fact that one of the meetings was held on the day he was busy firefighting tribal wars dogging Bulawayo City Council (BCC) on 27 July 2019. The source added that “Prof Ncube met party members from Matabeleland South and Matabeleland North on the pretext of strategizing on Malongwe and Lupane East by-elections.”
However, the source added that Chamisa got wind of the information that Prof Ncube was indeed canvassing for support and holding the meetings to consolidate his grip on the MDC Alliance Bulawayo and Matabeleland (South and North) Provincial structures thereby propping his political ambitions in the region.
This comes against the background that Prof Ncube has been sponsoring Mthwakazi Republic Party (MRP) to frustrate Shona Councillors at BCC, thereby fanning factionalism.
On 27 July 2019 as the meeting between Chamisa and BCC was in motion, MRP was pitched outside the venue singing obscenities and calling for the removal of Shona people from the Council. MDC Alliance members in the meeting hackled and accused Prof Ncube of organizing the demonstration and causing chaos, an allegation Prof Ncube vehemently denied, further stoking the fires of dissention in that meeting.
Turning on to calls for demonstrations against Government, Chamisa in the same meeting indicated that the MDC Alliance is not going to demonstrate against Government, but would engage on national prayer from 28 July 2019 to 3 August 2019; after which they would then go onto the streets.
Elsewhere, MDC Alliance ‘motormouth’ legislator, Job Sikhala, in Epworth; preached exactly the opposite of Chamisa’s gospel of peace saying Zimbabweans should take to the streets against Government. His faction leader, and MDC Vice President, Tendai Biti, in the stormy meeting made it no secret that he was against Chamisa’s diplomatic approach towards Government.
The MDC Alliance leadership is thus in sixes and sevens, a scenario that could see a split or coup being effected on Chamisa whose reins are apparently under siege from his ambitious deputies.
