By Christopher Makaza

MDC-Alliance polling agents in the July 2018 harmonised elections who are yet to receive their allowances, two years after the elections, have threatened to petition their leader Nelson Chamisa over the issue.

The MDC-Alliance reportedly deployed nearly 50 000 election agents to various polling stations across the country ahead of the 2018 harmonised elections.

Some of the polling agents, who spoke to this publication on condition of anonymity for fear of victimisation, revealed that they were planning to petition Chamisa over non-payment of their promised allowances, threatening to attach MDC-Alliance property to recover their money, if their issue continued to be ignored.

“When we were recruited as polling agents, we were told by the leadership that they were going to avail some money to cater for expenses such as food and transport. We were also promised US$5 each as an allowance and token of appreciation, but to-date we have received nothing.

“Some of us used our own bus fares to and from the polling stations, hoping to recover the money after receiving the promised allowances, but our leaders never considered all that,” said one of the agents.

The agents complained that even on the Election Day, they barely received meals, spending the day on empty stomachs, while their ZANU PF counterparts enjoyed good and delicious meals.

“We have already drafted a petition which we want to handover to Chamisa, when he returns from his leave, highlighting all our grievances. We have decided to follow this peaceful route first and if it fails, we will be left with no choice but to engage in violent means to force them to act.

“Those who participated and won the election like legislators and senators are surprisingly mum on the issue, forgetting that 2023 is fast approaching, when they will want the services of the same polling agents they are ill-treating,” added another agent.

Meanwhile, militant MDC-Alliance youths who are currently deployed at various provincial party offices countrywide to guard the premises against takeover by Dr Thokozani Khupe`s MDC-T, have also threatened to withdraw their services citing hunger and non-payment of their allowances. The youths were promised monthly allowances of ZWL$5 000 each and food rations, which they are yet to receive, since their deployment in April.

The distressed MDC-Alliance also owes its workers thousands of dollars in unpaid salaries. Recently, Chamisa admitted that the MDC-Alliance workers haven`t been paid their salaries since February, and attributed the delay in salary payment to the coronavirus pandemic.