A few weeks ago, I received a call from an MDC National Council member. He said some senior members of the MDC were concerned that Chamisa was no longer interested in leaving opposition politics.
Senior members were concerned that key donors no longer wanted anything to do with the MDC.
What Happened to the Money?
The senior member said MDC Alliance money was stolen through two methods :
1. Nelson Chamisa receives 60% into the President’s fund for projects. This amount used to be 20%. However , instead of using this 60% to do presidential activities, Chamisa would come back and take from the 40% that is remaining for the whole party to do his activities. The 60% is never accounted for.
David Coltart was confronted by some senior leaders of the MDC and said didn’t know anything.
2. Chamisa and Hwende own a company together ( As Previously mentioned this is a conflict of interest). When renovations were done to the MDC head office, they were done by companies linked to Chamisa and Hwende. This resulted in inflated costs.
3. When there was need for printing, the quotations were from companies linked to Hwende.
Poor Governance
What is happening at MDC is poor governance. So what is needed there is not just an audit, there is also need for an investigation.
The Chairman, Thabitha Khumalo is supposed to be calling for an annual audit. She is the final custodian of governance in the MDC. She should also be the one taking a lead in responding to allegations of fraud and not the people who are part of the transactions.
Culture
Stealing of MDC funds weakens the party. These misused funds should be used for buying assets to campaign and win by elections.
In conclusion, the MDC needs to develop a culture of transparency, where everyone knows that abuse of party funds comes with consequences.
dership of MDC should be people of unquestionable integrity.
