HARARE - The MDC opened a shop for party regalia and paraphernalia as part of the partys branding process. Luke Tamborinyoka, the Director of Information and Publicity, said: We are selling the name of the party as a brand and keeping up with global trends in politics; the MDC has always been the first with everything.Tamborinyoka added that the shop would also be selling DVDs and CDs chronicling major events and the partys history in the struggle for democracy. The DVDs would include the just-ended congress which was barely covered by the sole broadcaster in the country ZBC.
Tamborinyoka said there had been an overwhelming response from the public.
However, many are not sure whether hardcore Zanu (PF) loyalists would let the shop operate. The Prime Ministers newsletter, published a month ago, caused much furore within Zanu (PF). So-called media experts within the party vilified Tsvangirai who had came up with the newsletter to reach out to the public.
During last years harmonized elections, the MDC introduced another first with campaign buses that had the face of the party president. Zanu (PF) banned the buses.
Meanwhile, both Pikirai Deketeke, the Editor-In-Chief of The Herald, and Happison Muchechetere, the CEO of ZBH, have not responded to letters from the MDC calling for a change in the coverage of the party and its officials in the inclusive government.
We are not concerned about a reply but what we want to see is a change in the way the public media covers our party, said Tamborinyoka.