HARARE - The sun is setting on Welshman Ncube’s political life as his smaller MDC party is collapsing due to bankruptcy.
A senior party member based in Bulawayo told the Daily News that all was not well in the party.
“I think the end is nigh for some of us,” said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Remember, we have closed most of our provincial offices and now some workers have been retrenched.”
The party, which is hamstrung by insolvency, closed provincial offices in Bulawayo, Matabeleland North, Midlands North, Midlands South, Masvingo, Mashonaland West and Manicaland.
“Now we have been told to pull our personal resources together to ensure the survival of the party,” said the official.
“We were told that if we don’t fund our own party, it is going to die. People do not have the money and the situation is bad.
“The party’s leader, Ncube, is nowhere to be seen. Since the electoral loss, we have never held any National Council (meeting). Also, we suspended all programmes.”
All has not been well for the party, since the party’s devastating electoral= loss last year.
The party performed dismally during the July harmonised polls, losing monumentally to Zanu PF and its leader Robert Mugabe.
It lost all the nine Parliamentary seats that it had and picked up a seat under proportional representation in the National Assembly.
To add salt to injury, Qhubani Moyo, former policy director, who penned the electoral manifesto, resigned, saying he was going back to academics.
Kurauone Chihwayi, MDC deputy spokesperson, refuted claims that his party was bankrupt.
“We are financially sound and I don’t know what you are talking about,” Chihwayi said.
When asked why the party is not carrying out any programmes, he retorted: “We are reorganising and restrategising. As from month end you will see action.
“We have programmes lined up. Yes, we were affected by the electoral loss but we know it was the first half and the second half is coming in 2018. Therefore we are now preparing for the second half.”
However, the party failed to field candidates for the council by-elections scheduled for Saturday.
Again, Chihwayi downplayed this development, insisting that the failure to field candidates was due to the fact that the party’s candidates missed the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission deadline to file papers.
The three local authority by-elections are scheduled for Harare, Karoi and Zaka.