by Jasper Hloka

As the MDC Alliance attempts to put the pieces together in a bid to contest the recent harmonised elections results, former President Robert Mugabe’s shadow continues to illuminate the background of every effort that party is making.

Blame game has reportedly become the order of the day in that party as some senior officials ponder on how best they can avail to their supporters that they had not fielded polling agents in at least 2 500 polling stations. A source privy to the development has revealed to The Harare Post, that the polling agents issue was, however, of no match to the squabbles evolving on the name Mugabe.

MDC-T led by Nelson Chamisa yesterday held a National Executive Committee meeting to finalise on its Constitutional Court application, but its Secretary General, Douglas Mwonzora, took centre stage as he was quizzed for letting the cat out of the bag by publicly denouncing that party’s association with Mugabe.

Mwonzora was grilled by MDC-T bigwigs one after the other, before being given a seven day deadline to respond to the accusations. The unrepentant Mwonzora, however, reiterated that, “I have opposed working with Mugabe. I think Mugabe is a kiss of death. I still maintain that.”

Another source indicated that the melee had finally availed Chamisa popularly known as ‘Cobra’ with an opportunity to bite back and avenge on the humiliating defeat he suffered at that party’s November 2014 Congress where Mwonzora landed the post of Secretary General ahead of him.

“As things stand, Mwonzora could be on his way out. He has not made it a secret that Chamisa erred in roping-in the services of Mugabe. Mwonzora has always been on the spotlight in MDC-T as he had cast a dark cloud on his allegiance to the party when he was rumoured to be sympathetic to Thokozani Khupe’s cause.”

The source added that he (Mwonzora) had booked his seat at the Dr Khupe’s faction by releasing his daughter, Bella Mwonzora, a lawyer by profession while he stayed put at the Chamisa led faction.

Tensions continue to mount at the MDC-T, at the same time increasing prospects of another split in that political outfit owing to irreconcilable leadership differences.