by Innocent Mujeri

The embattled MDC-Alliance leader, Nelson Chamisa has assumed the new role of that party’s propaganda director, if details of the virtual National Standing Committee (NSC) meeting held via Zoom over the weekend are anything to go by.

An MDC-Alliance insider who spoke to this publication on condition of anonymity, said the virtual NSC meeting had only eight participants due to lack of data bundles by other members, dwelled on many issues ranging from propping up that party’s propaganda department to Chamisa’s legitimacy.

“The virtual meeting that lasted for almost two hours was chaired by Chamisa himself and included six other NSC members namely Tendai Biti, Job Sikhala, Daniel Molokele, Charlton Hwende and Amos Chibaya,David Coltart.The meeting discussed, the MDC Alliance workers’ salaries, the ownership of Morgan Richard Tsvangirai House, revamping of the communication department and many other issues,” said the insider.

According to the insider, Chamisa complained that the recent court cases losses have greatly shattered his personal image and that of the MDC-Alliance, hence there was need to prop up his image as well as that of the party.

Chamisa then told the participants that he is now micro-managing the propaganda unit of that party in order to redefine his image which has been affected by the legitimacy battle between him and Thokozani Khupe.

Chamisa reportedly said it was high time the MDC-Alliance recruited more cyber trolls to disseminate that party’s propaganda messages on various social media platforms.

Before concluding his speech, Chamisa directed that all MDC-Alliance members and supporters should run with the narrative that the persistent increase in the price of basic goods is a threat to people’s livelihoods and also that Government has no strategy to effectively deal with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Chamisa also said that the narrative that democracy is under siege because of ZANU PF’s interference in the opposition`s activities should be propagated to all Zimbabweans in order to draw sympathisers.

According to Chamisa, all these narratives would portray Government as a failure with no respect for people’s lives.

In the same virtual meeting, the MDC-Alliance Treasurer General, David Coltart, suggested that since the Supreme Court has ruled that the MDC -T is the legitimate party, all debts should be surrendered to the Khupe-led MDC T.

The MDC-Alliance is believed to be swimming in debts that amount to millions of the Zimbabwean dollars.

According to the same insider, the MDC-Alliance owes Harare City Council, Telone, ZESA and ZINWA millions of dollars in unsettled bills.

Coltart also advised the NSC members that there was a rumour that Chamisa and Hwende might be arraigned before the courts to answer to charges of embezzlement of that party’s funds given by Treasury under the Political Parties Finance Act.

Coltart then suggested that the 2019 audit report of that party’s assets and finances should be made public to counter and pre-empt the alleged impending arrest of Chamisa and Hwende.

Coltart’s other suggestion of directing that party’s workers to MDC-T for redress on their salaries arrears was shot by Biti who argued that it was better to change US$5 000 at black market rates and pay the workers.

Hwende vehemently argued with Biti that it was better not to pay the said workers their dues as some of them had defected to Khupe’s camp.

Chamisa immediately shot down Hwende’s suggestion arguing that the firing of workers will portray the MDC-Alliance as a vindictive party.

Sikhala is reported to have said that the firing of workers would be selective application of the policy as some legislators who aligned themselves with Khupe’s faction were never fired by that party.

This publication also learnt that Chamisa was not amused by the failure of other NSC members to participate in the virtual meeting. He directed Hwende to inform all NSC members who failed to participate in the meeting to give written reports explaining their positions.

Chamisa’s political life is hanging by the thread after the Supreme Court ruled in March this year, that his ascendancy to the helm of the MDC party leadership was unconstitutional, hence he should step down for Khupe to take over on an acting basis until the substantive leader of that party is determined by congress.