MDC Alliance seek donations to feed election agents

Published: 27 July 2018

THE MDC Alliance has sent out begging bowls in a bid to attract donations to feed 45 000 election agents that it will deploy for Monday's harmonised elections.

MDC-T deputy treasury general Mr Chalton Hwende made the appeal yesterday through his Twitter account.

"Zimbabweans we need your help to finish the struggle. We still need your hand in feeding our polling agents. Donate $5 and adopt one election agent. We have a total of 45 000 elections agents throughout the country," twitted Mr Hwende.

The MDC Alliance has been struggling to fund its campaign resulting in the coalition's failure to utilise advertising space on the national broadcaster, ZBC.
The broke coalition also ordered its candidates to fund their own campaigns while selling party regalia to fundraise.

In an interview yesterday, MDC Alliance spokesperson Professor Welshman Ncube confirmed that the Mr Nelson Chamisa-led coalition was short of funds to sustain its election agents during the polls.

"The issue of polling agents requires funding, a lot of money over two to three days. We will clearly need whatever support we can get. Some candidates are also able to support and sustain their agents. At the constituency and ward level we have people who have volunteered to cook for the polling agents, who will deliver food from the village. We have volunteers where transport will be required," said Prof Ncube.

The MDC president said the coalition had resorted to recruiting agents who will not need transport fares to cut costs.

However, he said he was confident that the Alliance would get the funds before Monday's polls.

Prof Ncube said the MDC Alliance has sustained its campaigns through donations since January.

He expressed satisfaction with the readiness of the electorate ahead of the election.

"The people are ready, the people are enthusiastic. The people want to seize this opportunity to basically bring about a new Zimbabwe. There is no doubt about the readiness of the people," Prof Ncube said.

"They can't wait. I have travelled the length and breadth of the country for the last six to seven months. I have been to every province and I have seen the enthusiasm."

- chronicle

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