MDC Mutambara faction deputy secretary general Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga is the source of the media mole story that was published by the newzimbabwe.com website that alleged that MDC Women’s Assembly chair Theresa Makone,MDC-Harare North., was dismissed from the talks, Metro has established.

The story was fed to Mduduzi Mathuthu the website’s editor and has since been proven to be untrue, but the website has neither retracted the story nor apologized for misleading its readers.

The story titled ‘Theresa Makone ejected from talks over leak’ published on 29 July 2008 had alleged that Makone was dismissed from talks after she was exposed as a media mole in the ongoing power sharing talks.

The story went further to claim negotiators from Zanu PF and the two MDC factions took a decision to feed Makone false information after having suspected her of leaking details of the secretive talks to the international media.

The website even went on to quote an anonymous diplomatic source as saying the story was “a rope to let her hang herself, a complete dummy”

Metro has since established that there was no such decision to hunt a mole and the only decision taken was by Priscilla Mushonga to feed a fictitious story to Mathuthu.

What is revealing is that prior to mole story leak no information was ever leaked to the media in the five days of negotiations, it is intriguing how the negotiators would hunt for a mole that did not exist in the first place. Reports of huddles to talks were not leaked but publicly confirmed by MDC presidential spokesman George Sibotshiwe, Tsvangirai and President Mugabe themselves.

The story was then picked up by Mail and Guardian, thezimbabwetimes.com and SW Radio Africa from the website, the websites went on to publish it without seeking clarification from a single MDC official. Not surprising Mugabe’s spokesman George Charamba repeated the same line in his weekly column in The Herald.

As any reputable media organisation would do, after the story broke out Metro immediately contacted MDC Communications director,Luke Tamborinyoka and MDC South Africa Political Liason Officer,Nqobizitha Mlilo and the story was dismissed as ‘totally false’.

Metro has since established that the story was deliberately fed by Priscilla in cohorts with Miriam Mushayi, it is believed the whole strategy was to discredit the Tsvangirai led MDC negotiating team.

Tension between Makone and Mushonga dates back to two years, last year Mushonga claimed that Makone influenced Tsvangirai to scuttle MDC unity telling SW Africa Radio’s Hot Seat program, ”There were only two women on the Tsvangirai side. It was Theresa Makone and Thokozani Khupe. I do not want to give Teresa Makone the power that she may have turned this thing around(MDC unity)… It is possible it may have been her.”

Meanwhile tension has emerged between the two factions as the MDC led by Mutambara has reportedly sided with ZANU PF.

The Mutambara MDC faction and ZANU PF negotiators are pushing for an amendment of No. 19 so as increase appointed senators from five to 25. ZANU PF and MDC Mutambara faction’s chief negotiators, Patrick Chinamasa and Welshman Ncube respectively lost their seats in March’s election.

The entire Mutambara MDC National executive lost their seats and according to last year ’s constitution amendment to reduce Mugabe ’s unelected appointees no one can be a Minister without being a Member of Parliament.

Contact the writer of this story Gerald at southafrica@zimbabwemetro.com or phone +1202 684 6621 and leave a call back number.