Zimpapers Logo

Herald Reporter

MDC-Alliance (MDC-A)’s members are resigning over alleged disagreements with party leader Mr Nelson Chamisa who is accused of surrounding himself with friends from his college days.

One such high-profile resignation is that of MDC-A’s external department head Ms Grace Kwinjeh, the party’s longest-serving representative to the European Union (EU).

Ms Kwinjeh is a founding member of MDC who was seconded to serve the party in Brussels, Belgium.

Recently, Mrs Tracy Mutinhiri, who had risen to the party’s top echelons following her expulsion from Zanu PF, also tendered her resignation.

Trouble is also brewing between Mr Chamisa and the party’s national chairperson Ms Tabitha Khumalo over who should be the leader of the opposition in Parliament.

Ms Khumalo is the leader of the opposition in the House of Assembly and The Herald has it on good authority that Mr Chamisa wants to replace her with his confidante, Ms Lynette Karenyi-Kore.

Mr Chamisa suspended the Masvingo provincial executive led by Mr James Gumbi.

Asked about Ms Kwinjeh’s resignation from the party on Wednesday, Mr Chamisa said: “No one is above the party. People come and go.”

Sources in MDC-A said Ms Kwinjeh resigned after it emerged that she had become excess baggage to the new MDC-A structure which appeared to favour Mr Chamisa’s collegemates.

“In her official communication, she (Ms Kwinjeh) said she wanted to pursue her studies in North America, but the crux of the matter is that she felt unwanted by the new regime,” said the source.

“She and others who were there during the Tsvangirai era are being regarded as old horses who have run out of ideas to challenge Zanu PF.

“Mr Chamisa is preferring to work with his collagemates and some professors who have now become his closest advisors.

“Mr Chamisa is playing a dangerous game because you cannot wish away these founding members of our movement.”

Another source said: “Ms Kwinjeh wanted to resign a long time ago, but the party’s leadership begged her to forego the idea arguing that the party was under pressure.

“She is of the view that the movement was hijacked as far back as 2017 and had since lost direction.

“They viewed her resignation as a blow to the party at a time when they wanted to project a united force.”

Efforts to get a comment from Ms Kwinjeh were fruitless as her mobile phone was not reachable.