THE MDC-T led by Thokozani Khupe is failing to feed party
youths who are guarding its Morgan Richard Tsvangirai House headquarters amid
further complaints that they are also working without protection against
coronavirus (Covid-19), the Daily News reports.
This comes as the interim leadership of the party has been
thrown into fresh turmoil after the youths assaulted Khupe’s aide and some
party workers in Harare on Monday.
The over 40 hungry youths, who are allegedly aligned to
MDC-T secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora’s camp, vented their anger with their
leadership by attacking one of Khupe’s aides, Fungai Masaiti, a day after they
had also assaulted cleaners who had been sent to tidy the party leader’s
office.
Insiders told the Daily News yesterday that when the youths
were quizzed over the violence by the party leadership after the matter was
brought up in the national standing committee meeting held on Tuesday, they
complained that they were hungry.
“The violence issue was mentioned in the standing committee
in passing. We then asked the youths what their issue was because we felt they
could not have acted in that manner without being sponsored by someone.
“They told us that they were hungry because they are
guarding the party headquarters for 24 hours. They complained that they were
being fed on bread alone and that at one point they spent three days without
food. The youths also complained that they had no sanitisers and that they
risked Covid-19 infections,” a standing committee member said.
MDC-T acting spokesperson Khaliphani Phugeni told the Daily
News yesterday that the food for the youths could only have been stolen as
Khupe had made all efforts to ensure they were well fed.
“The president donated a whole beast for them as well as
buying mealie-meal, while other leaders have also chipped in with other
supplies. So, I don’t understand why they should be complaining about hunger.
“However, the fact that a beast was donated does not mean
that it was given directly to them because there are distribution channels and
it is that process that could possibly have cracks.
“I will have to check with the head office,” Phugeni said.
The youths are maintaining a 24-hour vigil after Khupe took
over the iconic headquarters from her bitter rival Nelson Chamisa recently as
the senseless bloodletting that erupted soon after the death of the MDC
founding president Morgan Tsvangirai in February 2018 continued.
Since then, the MDC has continued to reel from the mortal
combat in which Khupe and Chamisa are involved in a hammer and tongs tussle for
the control of the party.
It also comes as Khupe has postponed the MDC’s planned and
court-directed extra-ordinary congress indefinitely — which was set to be held
on Friday next week, citing the ongoing national coronavirus lockdown.
Masaiti was allegedly assaulted by some party youths on
Monday at MRT House headquarters.
Earlier on Sunday,
the youths had also beaten up some cleaners who had been asked to tidy Khupe’s
office.
The youths are
allegedly harassing officials suspected to be backing other candidates in the
race for the leadership of the party.
“Team Mwonzora is blocking all party members who have shown
their support for other leaders from entering Harvest House (MRT).
“On Monday, they attacked a presidential aide, Fatso. On
Sunday, they also assaulted some party members who had been sent to clean the
president’s (Khupe’s) office.
“This is being done by the youths who took over the
national offices from the MDC Alliance,” one of the insiders claimed.
Phugeni admitted that the MDC was grappling with its
ongoing internal challenges.
“Violence is a problem we are facing and it is condemned in
the strongest terms. I will have to find out about the incidents you are
referring to.
“It could have been brought up in the standing committee
during the time I was addressing a press conference (on Tuesday),” Phugeni
said.
The MDC’s acting
chairperson, Morgen Komichi, said the matter would be investigated.
“The matter will be thoroughly investigated and if it is
found to be true, those behind the assaults will be brought to book because we
want to build a party anchored on constitutionalism and tolerance. We cannot
condone violence,” he said.
This comes as the cracks within Khupe’s interim leadership
are said to be widening.
All this comes as
Khupe and Chamisa have been involved in an ugly brawl for the control of the
party ever since the death of Tsvangirai from colon cancer in February 2018.
The fights took a turn for the worse after the Supreme
Court upheld an earlier High Court ruling in March, which nullified Chamisa’s
hotly-disputed ascendancy to the helm of the MDC following Tsvangirai’s death.
In addition, Khupe
has also recalled 21 MPs and senators from Parliament, as she has flexed her
muscles in the mindless infighting. Daily News
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