Chamisa spies on Mutambara

Chamisa spies on Mutambara - paper

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By Staff Reporter

NELSON Chamisa, a spokesman for Zimbabwe's divided opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has been secretly spying on another faction of the party and briefing journalists, it was claimed Wednesday.

The Daily Mirror newspaper, which was under private ownership until a covert take-over by Zimbabwe's intelligence agency, said Chamisa had contacted one of its journalists Sunday and attempted to influence the paper's numbers count for people who attended a rally addressed by rival faction leader Arthur Mutambara in Chitungwiza.

Chamisa is spokesman for the faction led by Morgan Tsvangirai.

Chamisa, the paper said, sent a text message to one of its reporters on Sunday. The text message said: "Mutambara addresses less than 800 people at St Mary's rally."

A statement released by a spokesman for Mutambara on Monday suggested that in fact there were 5 000 people who came to listen to him.

The Mirror says when the reporter phoned Chamisa and quizzed him on how he had obtained the figures, the Kuwadzana MP had claimed that he attended the rally, but "clandestinely".

The MDC factions have been playing a "numbers game" in recent weeks in the hope that it will sway public opinion behind the faction that attracts the biggest crowds.

Analysts, however, say the numbers game is futile as long as the two factions continue to wrestle each other.

"Tsvangirai was able to attract a huge gathering at his congress. It seemed he wanted to show he was more popular than his rival but congresses by definition require fairly small, manageable crowds to allow for rational discourse. They are not political rallies," says Dumisani Muleya, a political journalist.

He adds: "That is why Zanu PF, the ruling ANC in South Africa, parties in Britain or anywhere else for that matter, except in populist regimes, do not bring big crowds to congresses. There is no way serious debate, planning and resolutions can take place among 15 000 people. While Tsvangirai was able to attract 15 000 delegates, the danger remains if the MDC fails to reunite, his faction will lose an important power base: the south-western region (Matabeleland and parts of Midlands) where the Mutambara camp is dominant."

The Mirror quotes Chamisa as boasting about the attendence at another rally addressed by Tsvangirai.

He is quoted as saying: "On Saturday we addressed a rally in Budiriro 5 which was just a provincial rally, but it was attended by between 8 000 and 10 000 party supporters. I passed through St Mary's coming from Dema.

"I went there (pro-Senate faction rally) and I was shocked that between 500 and 800 people attended the rally. It certainly cannot be an MDC rally. We have thousands of supporters in St Mary's."

He then scoffed at the pro-senate rally a fortnight ago at Bulawayo's White City Stadium saying only 3 000 people attended.

"You cannot hold a rally in Bulawayo that will be attended by less than 5 000 people. We are going to Bulawayo…and you will see how many people will attend our rally.

"The people have spoken from congress and continue to speak. They bused people from as far as Mhondoro because the people in St Mary's snubbed them," added Chamisa.

The Mirror says it quizzed the youthful legislator on why he was so concerned by events in the other camp if Tsvangirai's faction was certain the people were fully behind them, Chamisa said he was bitter Mutambara was trying to high-jack "other people's project."

"He (Mutambara) should form a new party to show the world he has the best ideas than some of us who have been toiling and fighting …not clinging on other people's project. I listened to his speech. It was a schoolboy speech," he said.

He denied having hired a mob that vainly tried to disrupt the rally. Nyau dancers and a mob started waving Dynamos flags while Mutambara was addressing the gathering.

St Mary's legislator Job Sikhala and pro-Senate faction defence secretary said: "It's a game we are aware of and that does not worry us at all. It shows the extent of desperation in that camp. How can they hire street kids and Nyau dancers to disrupt our programme?"
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