Staff Reporter
The MDC-Alliance leadership has been accused by party members for allegedly abusing donor funds especially from the Diaspora community, which has led to a financial crisis, the opposition outfit is currently experiencing.
A close contact inside MDC-Alliance who spoke to this publication on condition of anonymity revealed that people in the Diaspora who used to fund the party’s activities had since stopped citing misappropriation and abuse of funds by the top leadership.
“MDC-Alliance used to have reliable funders who believed and had faith in its leadership, but after realising that the opposition party was full of corrupt individuals who were just after abusing party funds at the expense of funding party activities, the donors withdrew.
“As you are aware that after losing the 2018 election, the MDC-Alliance appealed for donations from its supporters both local and in the Diaspora which they code named “GoFundMe” to help meet the cost of its presidential petition which had been dismissed by the country’s top court, A lot of money was surely mobilised especially from the Diaspora community. That money was abused by the top leadership and was never accounted for,” said the contact.
“A lot of money was also raised to fund Joana Mamombe and the other two girls’ court cases following their arrest, that money disappeared into pockets of the party leadership,” the contact said adding that most of the leadership are living large, driving expensive cars and building expensive mansions using the donor funds while the party is broke.
The contact discouraged the Diaspora community from donating to opposition political parties saying the money will benefit only a few individuals adding that Transform Zimbabwe leader Jacob Ngarivhume is using the same crowdfunding tricks in the name of clean up campaigns.
In June last year, Tapiwa Mashakada, who is the MDC-Alliance former treasurer broke his silence to reveal stunning details of how the opposition party regularly received donations from foreign nations and coupled with the government grant that money had only benefited a select individuals close to the party leader Nelson Chamisa.
“One of the most disturbing things is the lack of financial systems to ensure the proper and accountable use of resources. 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. 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 meetings,” said Mashakada.
