The party has also failed to pay its workers since
December, and they are now threatening to beat up top executives, including
treasurer-general Tapiwa Mashakada, once they set foot at the offices.
Insiders told NewsDay that the opposition party yesterday
held its standing committee meeting at a church premise in Hatfield which was
hired due to the water crisis issue as well as fear of being beaten up by angry
party vigilantes.
Sources further said that the party was battling financial
woes, which resulted in failure to pay workers and pay for other services.
This follows accusations against Mwonzora that he connived
with the party’s finance director, Toddy Mapingire, to loot about $6 million
from party coffers, which he allegedly used to buy foreign currency on the
parallel market.
The matter is still under police investigation. Sources
told NewsDay that the party failed to clear salary arrears for employees who
had gone for months without being paid, despite having received $29 million
from government as part of the grants under the Political Parties (Finance)
Act.
“The water bill has been accumulating since the party
offices were taken over by the MDC-T,” a senior party insider said.
“They can’t convene where there is no water, so they are
hiring venues to conduct their meetings. Today (yesterday), they had their
meeting in Hatfield at Baptist Church. They are not financially stable to
settle the $1,9 million unpaid water bill.”
The source said disgruntled workers were plotting protests
against party leaders, but they were being hindered by COVID-19 restrictions.
“There is gross misuse of party funds by the top leaders
within the MDC-T,” one of the youths guarding the premises said. “When the
party got money from Treasury, it only paid its workers once, but failed to
clear the arrears. Workers have gone for more than six months without getting
paid. The party is having challenges in paying other bills for its day-to-day
running.”
According to the source, the party received money in
December and paid part of the salary arrears.It received another grant from
government under the Political Parties (Finance) Act and Mashakada said he had
set aside $3 million for salaries.
The money, however, vanished and Mwonzora kept promising
the youths that Mashakada would pay them.
About 25 youths are guarding the premises, fearing that the
rival MDC Alliance faction led by Nelson Chamisa would reclaim the building. The
youths are surviving from food handouts from unnamed senior party executives.
Last month, one of the youths wrote to Mwonzora threatening
to hand back the building to Chamisa.
Mwonzora, in one of the security meetings, raised the issue
that the party headquarters was now a security threat, a move that motivated
the change of venue for executive meetings.
Mwonzora’s spokesperson Lloyd Damba confirmed the party had closed its offices, but said the decision was made in compliance with the COVID-19 regulations set by government.
However, in accordance with the current level 4 COVID-19
measures, government permitted a 10% workforce at workplaces.
Damba said he was unaware of the water bill and also
insisted that all party workers were paid in full. “We do not use council
water. We have our own borehole at the party offices,” he said.
“We have completely closed the office in compliance with
government directive to decongest workplaces. That is why the treasurer-general
(Mashakada) is not coming to work. No one is visiting the party offices to
contain the spread of the virus.”
However, insiders said there was no borehole at the party
headquarters, but a reservoir that is filled up by council water. Contacted for
comment over the party bill, Harare City Council spokesperson Michael Chideme
said: “Let me check for you.”
The COVID-19 regulations allow not more than 50 people to
congregate indoors. The building’s second and fourth floors have auditoriums
that can accommodate over 100 people each and the standing committee is made up
of less than 30 people. Newsday
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