Political reporter

A plot by the MDC Alliance’s Maruva cabal to embarrass Nelson Chamisa during that party’s presidential dinner hit a brick wall after the latter’s loyal intelligence men saw through the mooted agenda.

The presidential dinner was held over the weekend at a sports club in Mabelreign.

According to a well-placed insider, the Maruva cabal had hatched a plot that would cement the social media rumour on the alleged illicit affair between Chamisa and his party spokesperson, Fadzayi Mahere.

“One of them (Maruva Cabal) paid a good amount for the president to dance with Fadzie. The game plan was to take videos and pictures of the two dancing and later edit to make them very suggestive. The cabal wanted to post the videos and pictures on social media so that they become viral with a view to bolstering the alleged extra marital affair between the two.

“It is the Maruva cabal which manufactured the rumour in the first place. However, not many believed the malicious rumour and it was never gained momentum as anticipated. The allegation was almost dying without any impact, hence the scheme to revive it. Our security men managed to detect the conspiracy and foiled it in a way that did not even disturb the function,” said the insider.

The source said the opposition’s lawyer and activist, Thabani Mpofu had to folk out US$500 to reverse the challenge, which would have seen Chamisa dancing with Mahere. Not to be outdone, the source said, the plotters had to up their money to US$1000, which Mpofu had to reverse once again by US$1500, sealing what many, oblivious of the inherent political agenda, saw as interesting pledges to bolster funds for the empty party coffers.

The dinner was meant to raise money to dole out to the rural voters during that party’s on-going rural mobilisation programme.  The bulk of the donations came from the party’s diaspora structures. A number of legislators, councillors, members of the National Executive Committee (NEC), National Standing Committee members and provincial assembly executives failed to attend due to financial constraints. A table was pegged at US$150 which many failed to raise.

Another source confided that the dinner did not raise the anticipated amount. He, however, said figures would be inflated so as to use the dinner as a cover for external funding which is outlawed by the Political Parties (Finance) Act.