The MDC Alliance has accused the ruling party Zanu PF of making false defection claims and even said the ruling party is printing fake regalia and fake party cards and giving them to people who are posing as defectors to sell the narrative that the opposition is imploding, Newsday reports.
This was revealed by MDC Alliance spokesperson Fadzayi Mahere who said the defections that were being paraded by the ruling party were nothing but a charade and the said defectors were just hired Zanu PF people posing as former MDC Alliance members.
Speaking to the publication, Mahere said:
Those fake party cards paraded by Zanu PF don’t belong to the MDC Alliance. We have nothing to do with that fraudulent charade. Zanu PF is printing fake party cards and regalia to support their false defection claims. Zanu PF is faking defections from the MDC Alliance. It’s an act of desperation.
Those are hired Zanu PF members. They are desperate to paint a false theatrical picture that they are recruiting our members when the reality is that our base is growing exponentially.
They have even banned elections because they are afraid of our popular support. The people are tired of the bad governance crisis, the broken economy, joblessness and crippled basic services. People want change, not suffering.
However political commentator Alexander Rusero said if defections were occurring at the executive level what will stop them from occurring at the grassroots level:
Those defecting to Zanu PF are better than those who are defecting and remaining in the MDC Alliance. You can’t downplay the defections and I think that is where MDC Alliance is losing the plot. The issue of parading defectors is what Zanu PF is good at. You should understand how Zanu PF does its things. We have gone back to the time of pungwes (overnight political vigils), at the height of the liberation struggle. For one to survive you have to show allegiance to Zanu PF by attending these pungwes.
Defections have been happening at the senior level and what will stop them at the grassroots? We don’t know who makes up the MDC Alliance now. What the party should do is to find a quick fix and go down to re-activate the grassroots as the quick fix is not found on Twitter.
When contacted for comment Zanu PF Spokesperson Simon Khaya Moyo said the ruling party is not responsible for any other party lacking oxygen.
More: Newsday