MDC UK's ZANU PF Traits

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THE missing MDC-UK £54 151, 37 haunted Jonathan Chawora's executive on Saturday when tampers flared during a provincial council meeting in Wallsall attended by less than 30 party members loyal to him, our undercover reporter found out.

We can also reveal that the inadequate gathering was told that a party member from Walsall branch admitted misappropriating funds. No disciplinary action was ever taken even though the issue had long been reported to both the district and Chawora's executive.

Our under cover reporter also witnessed a half-baked financial statement being presented to the meeting triggering a barrage of criticism of the MDC-UK financial mismanagement. Our reporter says the statement was immediately dismissed by supporters as a mockery to the integrity of the party.

The skeletally attended meeting was bombarded with questions of financial credibility and even those known to be loyal to Chawora demanded financial accountability of party funds.

In theory, Mr Chawora and his ill-fated executive quickly became rebels themselves during an unexpected salvo by their most trusted allies. Perhaps the biggest betrayal Mr Chawora is feeling this week was the boycot by his closest confidente' who also say they have also lost confidence with the former police chief-turned-MDC-UK boss.

While there was bitter exchange of words in the Wallsall meeting there was pomp and splendour few miles away in a "rebel-organised" MDC Oxford fund-raising meeting also attended by Prime Minister Tsvangirai's UK deputy representative Ms Emily Madamombe and vice-chairman of the UK executive Mr Jameson Mashakada .

Our reporter says the Wallsall meeting, organised by Mr Tonderai Samanyanga and attended by Mr Chawora and some few members of his executive resembled a disused and neglected cemetery with less than 30 people present. The district itself failed to constitute a quorum, one of the laid down rules and regulations of the MDC party.

The flopped meeting was designed to try and hoodwink supporters into believing that Chawora was still in control yet it turned out to be a disaster.

Speaker after speaker bombarded Mr Samanyanga with questions most of which were never answered as he could only promise to come back to them later.

Of more significant was an irate member who stood up and said, "Chairman, I am not really clear about what will happen on Saturday the 5^th of September, 2009 when the National Chairman Mr Lovemore Moyo attends our provincial rally and 10^th Anniversary Celebrations. Are we all going to form a queue to take turns to read and view the Provincial financial report? Or is the provincial treasurer going to print many individual copies for members to look at because people want to know what happened to our money? In any event, Chairman, there are only about 30 of us in this room and it has taken us, so far 2 hours just discussing the Treasurer’s report – how then can we be expected as the full Province to go through the Provincial financial report on the 5^th of September, 2009 and still have an Assembly and the 10^th Anniversary Celebrations and an address from our National Chairman."

There was a round of applause from party members present. Mr Samanyanga did not respond - all what he could say was that ‘we are writing down everything so that we take all your queries to the Provincial Council.’

Another speaker asked "How much does the District keep in their account?".

The response was that the district remits all funds to the provincial account and does not keep any money in its coffers. Then party members said "So why should we deposit the money into the district account?"

Supporters also questioned Mr Samanyanga about the credibility of the meeting saying the skeletal attendance showed that the party cannot fulfil the quorum system rendering the meeting invalid.

This also prompted Stoke-On-Trent chairman, Mr Tafadzwa Gidi to say: "Party members are angry - and until issues are addressed and resolved then this poor turnout will continue".

There were no MDC songs and the usually dance as compared to the Oxford fund raising one where the "rebels" led by Provincial Vice chairman Mr Jameson Mashakada sang pro-Tsvangirai revolutionary songs, chanted MDC slogans, danced and boasted.

There were four district executives, no representatives from Wolverhampton branch, two representatives from Stoke-On-Trent, one branch executive member from Birmingham and acting as secretary and minute taker for the district, one committee member from Coventry, no representative from Derby, two executive members from Walsall and the few so-called co-opted Committee members for Walsall branch.

District executives present were district chairman, Mr Tonderai Samananya himself, his deputy, Mr Solomon Mashiri, District Vice Organising Secretary Mr Robert Hombiro and District Treasurer Lincoln Makotore. Some shocking absences included Chawora's close ally district Information and Publicity Secretary, Mr Makusha Mugabe, district secretariat and women’s representative. No explanation was ever given on the controversial absence.

The biggest representation was from Leicester branch (about six branch officials) who so far has contributed £2000 to the district since January, 2009.

"The meeting was then presented with the Treasurer’s financial report. This item on its own covered more two hours of the meeting. Interesting questions raised from the floor included the Treasurer being asked to prove the transactions that he had reported in his report." our undercover reporter said.

An angry Leicester branch executive reportedly stood up and dismissed the scant financial report saying: "Ladies and gentlemen, this financial statement is a joke, anyone can type up the amounts shown on the report, what we need is a bank statement and proof of acknowledgement of receipt of funds from the Provincial Treasurer was important".

He said the report was not substantive as there was it did not "add-up at all".

"We need a proper report accompanied by a bank statement detailing financial activities of the province. We also need something clear comparative tables against the other Districts," the speaker from Leicester said.

No supporter has ever seen a bank statement pertaining to the management of the MDC-UK funds, they said.

While many MDC branches have since stopped remitting funds to Chawora's provincial executive, Wallsall, Wolverhampton and Derby Branches were singled out as problematic branches.

While four key members of the Chawora executive defied him and turned up for the "rebel" organised fund-raising meeting in Oxford, the Wallsall provincial meeting failed to take off the ground in line with the MDC rules and regulations.

For starters, there was no clear reason for the absence of the district secretary, Theresa Matope, the district vice secretary Edward Zvavarei, district organising secretary, Miss Nomalanga MacKenzie and the very late arrival of unconstitutionally co-opted district Youth Chairman Nicholas Chawasarira.