Reinstated MDC-T secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora was left embarrassed after only 15 people, including himself, turned out for a rally in Chivi Central constituency, a development which comes as a reality check to the opposition party led by Thokozani Khupe.
According to a report in one online publication, Mwonzora who had hoped to use the rally to meet hundreds of MDC-T members of the 2014 structures, but was reportedly left writhing in agony after only fourteen supporters, plus himself, turned out for the meeting in rural Chivi.
The Chivi rally also came after Mwonzora had faced the same embarrassment in Masvingo Urban where a paltry gathering graced his rally. According to reports, Mwonzora was further embarrassed by the fact that those who attended the rallies-cum-meetings are not even bonafide MDC members of the opposition party’s 2014 structures.
This comes as a fatal blow to the Khupe camp which banks support on members of the 2014 structures ahead of the penultimate extraordinary congress which is being held at the instigation of the Supreme Court. In March, the Supreme Court ruled that MDC Alliance’s Nelson Chamisa unconstitutionally ascended to the presidency following the demise of founding MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai in 2018.
The shock ruling declared Khupe as the legitimate acting president of the main opposition pending an extraordinary congress to choose the substantive successor to Tsvangirai who succumbed to colon cancer on Valentine’s Day two years ago.
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additional reporting: Zwnews