By Paul Nyathi| Following several arguments on social media on how many people actually attended the MDC Alliance coalition rally held in Bulawayo on Saturday, a ZimEye.com reader says that expert evidence can confirm that at least 40 000 people turned up for the rally at White City Stadium.

The reader who requested anonymity also says that at most 10 000 people may have travelled for the rally from outside Bulawayo leaving the majority to be Bulawayo residents.

The reader says that the figures are not worth arguing about as ZANU PF can still bring the same number into the venue when it holds its rally.

The reader says the figure is very insignificant when compared to the total registered voters in the province.

The writer’s full opinion reads as follows:

“Just how many people were in that bumper crowd at White City Stadium on Saturday?

Let’s stop arguing from the air and work on facts.

White City Stadium has a normal sitting capacity of 15 000 people. That is when people are seated at the designated sitting place on the terraces and not inside the pitch. For a fact ALL those seats were fully occupied so there were certainly over 15 000 people.

On top of the 15 000 there were those of us who were standing right behind all the seated people and in the cycle track. A fair assessment will say perhaps another 15 000 people occupied that area but to give the benefit of the doubt we would half that number and make it 7 000 people. That takes the figure to 22 000 people.

The area in the pitch could be about a hectare which is 10 000 square metres. Seated loosely as is normal the case at these rallies two people occupy a square metre while three people can occupy a square metre while standing.

For a fact not the entire 100 hectares was occupied we can cut a quarter of the hectare and say about 8 000 square metres were occupied. Of that 75% was occupied by standing people which will give us 12 000 people standing inside the pitch taking our tally to 34 000 people.

2 000 square metres of the area was covered by seated people at two people per square metre giving us another 4 000 people. That takes our tally to 38 000.

Then there was the huge number of the carefrees who were loitering behind the terraces and outside the stadium enjoying their drinks and merry making. Those who were at the venue can agree with me that those could easily make up another at least 2 000 people.

Justifiably then, 40 000 people attended the rally using the least possible computations. If extremes would be used the crowd can still be pegged at 50 000.

How many of these were people from in and around Bulawayo is the big question.

I personally had an opportunity to go around the stadium before settling inside shorlty after Chamisa and his crew arrived. I did not see the thirty buses parked outside the stadium which are being claimed by other people. At most I saw no more than ten buses. Working on the claimed buses with an average 60 people in a bus that will be 1 800 people.

There is also claims of some fifty trucks. Say each truck carried 40 people it will give us 2 000 people. There is also claims of Kombis carrying people. Say up to even 500 Kombis came in from outside Bulawayo carrying 16 people each. That will give us 8000 people. These figures will give us +/- 10 000 people coming in from outside Bulawayo. Even if the figure could be put at a straight 10 000 it leaves 30 000 to 40 000 being people from in and around Bulawayo.

Sad fact though is that 450 000 people registered as voters in Bulawayo. The figures need no celebration as it is not yet uhuru for MDC Alliance coalition. ZANU PF and Emmerson Mnangagwa can still come to Bulawayo and easily hit the same numbers.”