MDC-T broke as sponsors abandon ship

Takunda Maodza Assistant News Editor
THE international community and local companies that traditionally funded the MDC-T stopped doing so after it lost to Zanu-PF on July 31 leaving the party broke and on the brink of collapse, Mr Eddie Cross has revealed.Mr Cross is an MDC-T Bulawayo South legislator and a senior party member.

In an exclusive interview with The Herald last night, Mr Cross opened up on the MDC-T’s financial status and leadership wrangles that saw deputy treasurer-general Mr Elton Mangoma suspended.

“We spent all the money on elections. We were left with US$1 million in our kit after the elections. We spent half of the money on electoral court challenges and 90 percent of the challenges were unsuccessful,” he said.

Aspiring MDC-T parliamentary candidates rushed to court after they lost to Zanu-PF in their constituencies citing rigging but their cases were thrown out for lack of evidence.

“We also laid off 60 percent of our staff and negotiated retrenchment packages which we paid. That left us with no money,” Mr Cross said.
He said the MDC-T did not receive its US$1,5 million under the Political Parties Finance Act because Government does not have money leaving its coffers dry.

“Our US$1,5 million was not paid to us after Chinamasa assumed the role of Finance Minister. Chinamasa has no money,” Mr Cross said.
He added: “The international community has stopped supporting the political reform process. The loss of faith in Morgan Tsvangirai is recent. They are unhappy with violence in the MDC and there is no reaction to curb it.”

Mr Cross said the international community covertly funded the MDC-T through a network of Non Governmental Organisations.

“The international community has never funded the MDC directly. The international community funded pro-democracy institutions that surround the MDC like the Election Resource Centre which provides support to the MDC,” he said.

Mr Cross revealed that some local companies also funded the MDC in the run-up to the elections but disappeared after it lost.

“The bulk of our funding came from corporates and our members. When it looked as if the MDC would win the election, we received corporate support. After we lost, the corporates ran away,” he said.

Mr Cross said the corporate world supported the MDC towards the elections because they wanted political influence.

“The corporates were nervous about being discovered. There is no more trace of that money. All that money is gone,” he said.

Mr Cross said he advised Mr Tsvangirai to find other avenues of funding the party now that well-wishers were not forthcoming.

“My suggestion to the president was that we have to urge our members to dig deep and fund the party,” he said.

The Herald has it on good authority that on Saturday the MDC-T failed to book a hotel room for Mr Tsvangirai in Bulawayo where he addressed a provincial rally.

“He was rescued by a party official who controversially lost in primary elections in Magwegwe last year. His name is Mr Kidwell Mujuru. It was Mr Mujuru who paid for his hotel room. At the same time the party failed to organise transport for its supporters to the venue of the rally. People were made to contribute US$1 but it was not enough,” an MDC-T insider said.

Mr Mujuru yesterday denied paying for Mr Tsvangirai’s hotel room.