By Paul Nyathi|It just never rains but it pours for MDC Vice President Elias Mudzuri inside the opposition party administration.
The troubled Vice President who was recently taken to task for attending a parliamentary ceremony at State House without clearance from the party, has run into fresh trouble for failing to offer his seat to party leader Nelson Chamisa during the recent burial of late musician Oliver Mtukudzi in Madziwa.
Not only that, Mudzuri, the party is raising claims against him for attending the burial without notifying the party as per protocol requirements.
What makes issues worse for Mudzuri is that party President Nelson Chamisa attended same burial but was not given the reception that Mudzuri received from the predominantly ZANU PF run protocol.
Chamisa was initially blocked from entering the venue for the burial by state security before members of the public overpowered the security and let Chamisa through.
When he eventually did, he was still forced to follow proceedings while standing in the crowd.
While Chamisa was being humiliated, Mudzuri was being given a VVIP treatment by the ZANU PF leaders including an acknowledgement by Defence Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri when she went through the salutations as she presided over the burial on President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s behalf.
“Mudzuri breached party protocol by going alone to Tuku’s funeral without informing the party’s information and protocol department,” said a senior MDC official close to the events.
“He should have checked with these two departments if the president (Chamisa) was attending the burial.
“The other co-Vice President (Morgen) Komichi and other senior party officials travelled with the president but he (Mudzuri) chose to travel alone and to make matters worse, he was acknowledged while the president was harassed and embarrassed.”
The official said in terms of party protocol, Mudzuri was supposed to surrender his high table seat to Chamisa.
“The moment he saw Chamisa entering, as a junior official, he was supposed to vacate his seat and give way to the president.
“He never bothered to do that and instead, he remained seated as if he was enjoying Chamisa’s humiliation,” said the official.
“Mudzuri’s conduct during Tuku’s burial will certainly be discussed during the coming standing committee and national council meetings. His behaviour is now unbecoming,” said another senior party official.
Mudzuri has not yet officially commented on the issue.