by Innocent Mujeri

The appointment of Professor Welshman Ncube as the MDC Alliance acting president has irked members of that beleaguered party who view him as a square peg in a round hole.

The disgruntlement, which is being expressed by mostly Shona speaking members within the MDC Alliance, came at a time when the leader of that party, Nelson Chamisa recently appointed Ncube as acting president to allow himself time to mourn his late mother.

A member of the MDC Alliance National Standing Committee (NSC), who spoke to this publication on condition of anonymity, confided that Ncube’s appointment had caused friction in that party.

“People are not happy with Ncube’s appointment. Members are questioning the appointment of a Ndebele as a leader when we have other leaders such as Tendai Biti or (Lynnette) Karenyi Kore? If Chamisa wanted to appoint an acting president, he should have appointed Kore whose loyalty to the party is not questionable,” said the source.

According to the source, the MDC Alliance has an unwritten rule that the vice presidency is the ceiling for the Ndebeles. He said there was a deep seated disgruntlement by members from Matebeleland region over the tribal disparity within the party’s presidium.

The source went further to say that Ncube was not the right candidate to be acting president as he once deserted that party in 2005.

“Ncube is a traitor who abandoned the party when he was needed most. The initial split of the MDC was caused by Ncube’s greed. Imagine if the party had not split in 2005, we could have wrestled the presidency from ZANU PF in 2008,” said the source.

The same source further said most members of that formation were of the opinion that a man who once called Morgan Tsvangirai “an undemocratic womaniser” should not be at the helm of the MDC Alliance.

“In 2005, Ncube once described our founding president, Morgan Tsvangirai, as an undemocratic womaniser who doesn’t have the wherewithal to lead opposition politics in Zimbabwe. Surely such a man cannot be our leader. We don’t want him to be even the vice president because his loyalty to the party is questionable,” added the source.

The Harare Post has also learnt that in the few days that Ncube has acted, he has already effected some drastic changes without the approval of the National Standing Committee. His changes, the source said, were informed by his belief that the Ndebeles have been playing second fiddle in that.

Another member of the MDC Alliance National Standing Committee also said Ncube’s appointment was an error of judgement on Chamisa’s part because Kore was going to be a better acting president than Ncube as she doesn’t have a tainted past.

“How can someone with a tainted past be entrusted with that office? Kore was going to be a better acting president than Ncube. Everyone knows that Ncube is a ZANU PF stooge who benefited from the ZANU PF Government’s land reform program,” said another disgruntled member.

He further said his relationship with Professor Jonathan Moyo has seen the self-exiled G40 honcho calling the shot in that party.

The disgruntlement in the MDC Alliance is likely to further exert pressure in that formation as it is currently being deserted by members who are crossing floor to Thokozani Khupe led MDC-T after the Supreme Court ruling of March 2020 which legitimatised her as the rightful acting president of the MDC.