By Christopher Makaza
MDC Secretary General, Chalton Hwende has been heavily criticised by party members and political analysts for snubbing a Mkoba rally where he and MDC Organising Secretary, Amos Chibaya were set to address last Sunday.
The duo said they failed to attend to the rally because of rains yet their party supporters had braved the showers to meet the two.
Party members described the two`s behaviour as unbecoming of real leaders accusing them of being too smart and special to mix with the electorate in hard times and that they are not concerned about the welfare of the electorate.
Hwende on his twitter handle posted that, “Many people braved the wet weather in Gweru to attend the Mkoba rally yesterday (Sunday) at Mkoba 6 shopping centre. I was scheduled to address this rally on my way from Shurungwi together with Honourable Chibaya but had to proceed to Harare because of rains.”
An MDC supporter who was at the stadium who spoke to this publication said, “Our leaders are heartless. Surely we have braved the rains to come and meet them, only to be told that they could no longer make it because of the rains, the same rains we are all soaked in for their sake, what a shame! The truth is our leadership are just after our votes and they are not even concerned about our welfare,” he said.
Political analyst, Mr Namatai Chiresha said, “MDC leaders exhibit very strange behaviour, they always want to be in the comfort zone leaving supporters to endure and to sacrifice for the party. For example, if you look at the MDC demonstrations in town, MDC supporters will be in running battles with the police whilst their leaders will be peeping through Morgan Richard Tsvangirai House`s third floor windows. We expect leaders to be on the fore front in good or bad times, in this case the two were supposed to be in the stadium with the electorate to show that they are real leaders.”
Netizen, Munashe Muza responding to Hwende tweeted that, “The misleaders and the misled are in the same class. You can`t be used day in day out by a group of people, who are in politics for the anticipated personal gains than the welfare of the people they lead, without learning a thing. Definition of madness.”
