Former MDC-T leader Thokozani Khupe says the opposition party will report newly elected party president Douglas Mwonzora’s alleged embezzlement of a total $6,3 million in party funds to the police.
Speaking to the media Sunday night, Khupe accused Mwonzora of unilaterally withdrawing the money from the opposition party’s bank account without both the knowledge and approval of his colleagues and later using it to rig Sunday’s MDC-T extraordinary congress in his favour.
Khupe was speaking some moments after she was forced to flee from the party’s congress at the Harare International Conference Centre when Mwonzora’s supporters were baying for her blood.
The followers were angered by Khupe’s bold announcement she was calling off the congress midway after some huge anomalies had emerged from the process.
But speaking from a safe place after her ordeal, the former deputy prime minister of the now defunct inclusive government accused her ally of stealing party funds.
“First, he (Mwonzora) took 300 000 (dollars) from the party coffers without anybody knowing and we said ahh, ok. And then 6 million (dollars) as we speak right now is missing; he can’t account for the money.
“If you see this whole conference, it is happening on credits. I had to go out of my way together with the national chairman (Morgen Komichi), we had to ask for credits and yet he is holding 6 million (dollars).
“That is the 6 million he used to rig this election and I cannot allow this to go ahead,” Khupe said, adding that they were going to report the matter to the police.
“Definitely, we are going to be doing that because he has to account for the money,” she said.
Earlier in the day, Mwonzora told journalists that claims of his embezzlement of party funds were a smear campaign by opponents.
Similarly, presenting MDC-T resolutions soon after the announcement of election results Monday morning, party top leader Tapiwa Mashakada said the party had resolved to hire independent auditors to audit the MDC-T funds before considering any police report.
Credit: New Zimbabwe