Hatfield Member of Parliament, Tapiwa Mashakada says the MDC Alliance’s 2018 election campaign was bankrolled by some elements of the alleged G40 cabal, who had a bone to chew with President Emmerson Mnangagwa after the November 2017 coup.
Mashakada who has since left the Nelson Chamisa led outfit for Thokozani Khupe’s MDC T, said although the G40 was not part of the Alliance, they had a huge role to play in the campaign by oiling the Chamisa machine with huge financial funding, a move which some opposition members were against.
“They bankrolled the elections for which we are very grateful. Most MDC members were not happy with the elevation of G40 members into top positions at provincial and national levels. Moreover, the membership wanted an open and transparent relationship which is not Nicodemus or sub-terrain.
“I personally think the G40 people should negotiate as an institution and not allow their individuals to capture the MDC Alliance leadership and secretly bankroll MDC Alliance operations without the knowledge of party organs,” Mashakada said.
He alluded that the G40 issue has caused a lot of fissures within the Chamisa camp because there are serious allegations of abuse of funds and lack of transparency.
“The G40 issue has become very divisive because of financial transparency deficits,’ he said.
He further stated that there is a lack of transparency on the use of the Political Parties Fund, which parties get from the government which he said has not been audited on how it was used, further damaging the reputation of the MDC party.
Mashakada alleged that some don’t funds are being abused by senior party officials who use them to their own benefit.
“I am not concerned about the donor funds or private moneys we get from time to time because we have to protect our sources.
“But the Government grant is the taxpayers’ money and its use must be transparent. Allegations that ZW$2 million went missing are serious allegations which have not been discussed by leadership or refuted in a meeting
“The truth of the matter is that there is no audit trail of where that money went. These are things which make some of us lose confidence.
“We must set a good example and not replicate the corruption we are fighting. The money from our diaspora structures is going into the pocket of individual leaders, and not the coffers of the party.
“Anyone who expects me to shut up should have his head examined,” Mashakada said.
The MDC Alliance has been rocked by serious divisions which have seen some senior members jumping ship to join the Khupe camp which is fighting for the custodian of the party’s name.
