Staff Reporter

The beleaguered MDC-Alliance has reportedly demoted its Harare Provincial Secretary for Recruitment and Mobilisation, Shadreck Mashayamombe for his continued absence from party programmes and divisive tendencies.

Mashayamombe, the expelled former Zanu-PF Harare Provincial Secretary for Commissariat, was elected MDC Alliance’s Secretary for Recruitment and Mobilisation and was expected to lead from the front in that party’s recruitment drive.

According to a source within the MDC Alliance, Mashayamombe only attended a few of the party meetings and has since fled to South Africa alleging political persecution by the ruling party.

“The provincial leadership held a meeting recently and they recommended for the demotion of Mashayamombe from the influential post of Secretary for Recruitment and Mobilisation to another post within the lesser ranks of the party. Mashayamombe, who lied to the leadership that he had recruitment skills he acquired from his days in ZANU PF, has since gone to South Africa where he is living a lavish lifestyle at the expense of party programmes.

“There is a general consensus within the party that Mashayamombe should not claim political persecution for his failure to attend meetings or execute his duties as we know for certain that the police are not looking for him,” said the source.

According to the same source, National Executive Member (NEC) Murisi Zwisai, who also attended the meeting, argued that Mashayamombe was just a mere Provincial Political Commissar in Zanu PF and should not inflate his political status by alleging political persecution for his continued absence from meetings.

At the same meeting, Zwizai called for the demotion of Mashayamombe and went on to suggest that his membership should be terminated as he was a crook who could contaminate party members

 “Mashayamombe is lying that he is running away from persecution, the truth is that he is suspecting that he might be arrested for a myriad of crimes he committed when he was still in Zanu PF. He used to abuse his Zanu PF membership by corruptly selling residential and commercial stands to home seekers.

“He has duped a lot of people of their hard earned money and I don’t think the MDC Alliance would need someone with such a record to be its Secretary for Recruitment and Mobilisation. Do you think he has a moral ground to recruit the people that he duped,” added the contact.

The source added that Mashayamombe was not taking seriously the MDC Alliance’s party business as he had no time for crucial meetings.

According to the contact, another section of MDC-Alliance Provincial members is pushing for the expulsion of Mashayamombe from MDC-Alliance on the basis that he still hob nobs with his G40 compatriots who are mooting forming a political party ahead of the 2023 elections.

 In 2018, Mashayamombe was dragged to court after reportedly unleashing violence against Zanu PF supporters whom he accused of backing his ouster from the party.

 Mashayamombe’s name also featured prominently in the Justice Uchena Land Commission report of 2019 which called for investigations into a myriad of suspicious land deals involving mainly politically connected individuals.