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Nobleman Runyanga
Features Correspondent
Last week, the social media was abuzz with the news of the defection of two senior MDC Alliance members, Blessing Chebundo and Lillian Timveous, to Zanu PF.

In response to the development, the MDC Alliance secretary general, Chalton Hwende, revealed that Timveous had resigned from the party three weeks earlier.

Instead of telling the world why his party had withheld the resignation for weeks, he sought to deflect the negative attention to Timveous by claiming that “her major reason was that First Lady Amai Auxillia Mnangagwa had promised to help her retain the vehicle she received when she was a senator”.

Hwende and his boss, Nelson Chamisa, were hoping that Timveous would silently walk away from politics, which would enable them to save themselves the embarrassment of announcing the departure of a very senior party member, as it would reflect negatively on the party’s leadership.

Nothing is as painful and embarrassing as seeing a senior party member cross the floor to join one’s opponent.

It is a serious indictment against the MDC Alliance and Chamisa’s very poor leadership.

The decision to withhold the resignation backfired badly as did Hwende’s decision to malign Timveous by claiming that she had joined Zanu PF to save a motor vehicle.

Like Hwende, she is a businessperson of means, who could pay for her motor vehicle.

Timveous’ response to Hwende’s very ill-thought out and childish response provided a window into the way Hwende has been abusing his position and the sorry state of the party even at Standing Committee level.

“Ndaneta nepolitics dzokugara kushandiswa kurwisa vanhu vasina chavakanditadzira. I have moved on. Hapana agenda yokuendesa musangano uya mberi kunze kwokudanirwa mameeting okundorwisa vanhu. I am tired of being abused,” Timveos said in her response.

She revealed how Hwende called meetings to discuss and lobby for his intended ouster of other senior party members such as the party’s national chairperson, Tabitha Khumalo and her deputy, Job Sikhala, as well as co-deputy president, Professor Welshman Ncube.

Timveous also indicated that party spokesperson, Fadzayi Mahere, was dressed down in one meeting for supporting activist Hopewell Chin’ono on the party’s Twitter handle instead of using the same to sing Hwende’s praises.

Timveous poured her heart out and narrated the way that she and other Standing Committee members suffered at the hands of Hwende.

She disclosed that “we have been treated like school children (and) insulted by Hwende and Nelson Chamisa never reprimanded him. How many Standing Committee members cried in meetings from abuse (at) every turn?

“Hwende always gangs up with Amos Chibaya, Obey Sithole, Murisi Zwizwai and Happymore Chidziva to undress other members of the Standing Committee.”

When people fall out with each they are bound to tell the truth or lies as a way of scoring points against their opponents, but where Hwende is concerned, Zimbabweans are likely to stand with Timveous.

This is because a few years ago Hwende and Zwizwai led a group of senior MDC Alliance members who harassed Elias Mudzuri at the Rainbow Towers and Conference Centre in Harare for meeting President Emmerson Mnangagwa at State House together with other Senators on Parliamentary business. If he could do that in the public and on camera, what more is he capable of doing in a Standing Committee closed door meeting?

While the dust was still to settle following Chebundo and Timveous’ departure, Hwende was moving full steam ahead with his crusade of ensuring that other people do not get too close to Chamisa. He reportedly removed Sikhala and Khumalo from some MDC Alliance Whatsapp groups. While Sikhala denied it for fear of reprisals, Timveous’ testimony of Hwende’s hatred for the two is enough to give an indication of what happened.

Since March 31 last year, when the Supreme Court delivered its judgement which declared that Chamisa’s ascendance to the leadership of the MDC Alliance was irregular, that party has been accusing Zanu PF of using various means to destroy the party. Its leadership has been blaming Zanu PF for the internecine fighting in the opposition political outfit.

Timveous’ response exposed how funny the MDC Alliance leadership is. It happily presses the self-destruct button and rushes to blame Zanu PF for its own self-made political woes.

It is strange that the party engages in divisive politics and still expect progress.

One social media user, Learnmore Machingauta, aptly summed up the situation in the MDC Alliance when he tweeted that “the MDC Alliance is a cesspool of hatred, rancour, victimisation and violence.”

When Chamisa took over, his main message was unity to entrench his dominion.

He went on to unite with political losers like co-vice president, Tendai Biti, Sikhala and Prof Ncube who had fallen out with the MDC founding leader, the late Morgan Tsvangirai over various issues at different times.

In bid to entrench his stranglehold of the party, he brought bootlickers such as Hwende and the three political home seekers close to the exclusion of founding members like Tapiwa Mashakada, Douglas Mwonzora and Mudzuri, among others.

He also brought close youths such as Sithole and Harare West legislator, Joanna Mamombe.

Put differently, Chamisa’s idea of unity revolves around his bootlickers, desperate politicians and the youth. With such a warped strategy one does not need Zanu PF to destroy a party whose leader positioned it for self-destruction.

Add to that an indulgent secretary general who is never reprimanded for bullying fellow senior party members and what one gets is a party without offices, which is riven by serious divisions as is the case in the MDC Alliance right now.

No amount of blaming the MDC Alliance’s serious woes on Zanu PF will miraculous turn the party’s fortunes around.

For as long as Chamisa continues to look the other way while Hwende rips the party apart and conveniently blame it on Zanu PF, it will not be long before he is left clutching at tufts of air.

While Zanu PF believes that it is strengthened by the presence of a robust opposition, it will naturally count the fall of the MDC Alliance as one opponent down.

The events of the past week should open the eyes of the fanatical MDC Alliance supporters to the behind-the-scenes truth on the real causes of their party’s current woes.

Now that the truth is out, it should dawn on supporters of the party as to who the real enemy of their party is. It is the leadership.