Christopher Makaza
MDC leader Nelson Chamisa`s threats that perpetrators of the intra-party violence in the on-going district congresses will be dealt with accordingly are just crocodile tears and empty threats as he is the major beneficiary of the well-orchestrated mayhem.
Chamisa is the one who is actually sponsoring them so that his favourite horses are elected ahead of the crucial elective congress pencilled for next month.
Speaking during the National Executive Council Extra Ordinary meeting held during the weekend at Morgan Richard Tsvangirai House, Chamisa said the Bulawayo Cowdry Park by-election loss to Zanu PF was an embarrassment to the party, threatening that heads will roll after the conclusion of the party`s National Organising and election report regarding the by- election.
Chamisa during the meeting threatened that those party members who are perpetrating violence and disrupting the on-going district congresses will be disciplined accordingly and will be barred from participating in party activities.
Chamisa is the one who is actually funding th violence and chaos punctuating the district congresses considering that he is being accused by the MDC Veterans Activist Association (VAA) for allegedly abusing 165 000 Pounds donated to the party by British citizens based in South Africa. It is alleged that he is using part of the money to sponsor violence, vote buying and intimidating party members who are pro MDC Secretary General Douglas Mwonzora.
Close sources within the party says Chamisa also used part of his loot to construct his mansion in Sandton suburb, South Africa.
During the same meeting, Chamisa highlighted that the party`s national leadership will descend in Bulawayo to address issues regarding the intra-party violence which have resulted in the province failing to conduct district congresses knowing very well that he is the culprit behind the violence.
The VAA members are accusing Chamisa of imposing himself as party leader after the death of Morgan Tsvangirai, a development that they said had divided the opposition party and subsequently led to MDC losing to Zanu PF in the 2018 harmonised election.
The elders questioned why Chamisa is refusing to accept the 2018 harmonised election results yet he openly lost to President Emmerson Mnangagwa due to his childish behaviour and divisive policies.
Chamisa is fond of questioning President Mnangagwa’s forgetting he is an illegitimate leader who took the reins unconstitutionally. It’s still fresh in people’s minds that he used brinkmanship, violence and guile to wrestle the leadership from Elias Mudzuri and Thokozani Khupe, who were his party seniors.
Chamisa is also being accused by party members for engaging in business deals with former President Robert Mugabe and for receiving $2 million from the Mugabe family prior and post the 2018 election.
There are also fears that the poorly planned MDC Congress which will be held in Ascot or Mkoba stadium, Gweru will be marred with chaos, violence and election rigging like what is currently taking place at district congresses
Chamisa is allegedly moving around attending district congresses with a view to intimidating party members who are pro-Mwonzora.
It is alleged that Chamisa is instructing the district members to vote for their preferred leaders ahead of the congress by show of hands so that people will not vote for someone else in his presence for fear of victimisation. Chamisa has so far attended the Matabeleland South and North provincial congresses which endorsed him. Chamisa was afraid that the Matabeleland people would endorse Mwonzora over him, hence all these underhand tactics.
