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Midlands Correspondent
MDC-T national organising secretary, Mr Nelson Chamisa yesterday rubbished reports that Zanu-PF was courting his party’s leader, Mr Morgan Tsvangirai for the post of vice-president. He dismissed the reports published by yesterday’s edition of the News Day as mere “beer drink talk with no merit”.
The publication quoted MDC-T national youths leader, Mr Solomon Madzore, saying the revolutionary party which thrashed the MDC-T in the just ended harmonised election was offering Mr Tsvangirai the Vice President’s post.
Responding to questions from journalists soon after MDC-T’s national executive closed door meeting, Mr Chamisa said Zanu-PF never approached the MDC-T with such an offer.
He said Zimbabweans should not be misled by some reports that would have been gathered from people in “pubs and commuter omnibuses”.
“The correct and true position is that Zanu-PF has never approached MDC-T or its president Mr Tsvangirai with such any offer. That is beer talk. That is mere speculation, the kind of discussion that is held by people in kombis and public bars which is far removed from the truth,” he said.
Mr Chamisa who claimed that the MDC-T was robbed in the just ended election said there was no way Zanu-PF would approach the MDC-T with such an offer.
“The MDC-T’s position is that this election was stolen. This is the position of all the political parties which participated in the just ended election except Zanu-PF. Even some Zanu-PF officials themselves admitted that the election was rigged and therefore there would be no way that the MDC-T would be approached with such offers. It would be a situation where a stock thief would then approach the owner of the beast and suggest that they slaughter it and share the meat, which is impossible,” he said.
Mr Chamisa told journalists that the MDC-T party will this time impose mayoral candidates in cities and towns where it won majority votes.
Minister of Local Government Rural and Urban Development, Dr Ignatius Chombo on Monday told our Harare Correspo, that he would block the MDC-T from imposing mayoral candidates.
Dr Chombo said imposing mayoral candidates was in violation of the new constitution which states that elected councillors should elect a mayor of their choice from among themselves.
Mr Chamisa, however, said the MDC-T was going ahead with the imposition of mayoral candidates in all the cities and towns where they have the majority.
“The position is that in areas where we have majority, the party will appoint its preferred mayoral candidate. We will be hands-on on everything this time as we seek to avoid the situation of the last time when the elected mayors engaged in corruption,” he said.
Meanwhile, the MDC-T leader, Mr Tsvangirai yesterday embarked on a nationwide tour of the country’s 10 provinces on a fact finding mission following the heavy defeat that he together with his party suffered at the hands of President Mugabe.
The former Prime Minister was accompanied by the MDC-T deputy president, Ms Thokozani Kuphe and National organising secretary, Mr Chamisa.
A coterie of journalists had to wait outside the meeting venue expecting to have an interview with Mr Tsvangirai but the MDC-T leader quickly got into his Mercedes Benz and was driven off.
Mr Chamisa said the party was embarking on a tour of provinces to gather information on how the party lost the election.
He said the MDC-T would be guided by the information gathered from the tour to map a way forward.
“We are meeting provincial structures nationwide to have an insight on what really transpired in the election. The information that we are getting is shocking. The way this election was rigged is unbelievable. As MDC-T, we stand by our position that we will not accept the outcome of the election,” said Mr Chamisa.
He said the party would lobby for an investigation into the whole electoral process by an independent body, hoping that the process would culminate into the country holding fresh elections.
“We will be guided by the information that we are getting from the structures but from what we are getting, there is need for an independent body to investigate the just ended electoral process. As MDC, we will lobby for fresh and credible elections,” he said.
President Mugabe garnering 61.09 percent of the total votes against Mr Tsvangirai’s 33.9 percent.
Meanwhile, sources who attended the meeting said Mr Tsvangirai was bitter and was still trying to come to terms with the defeat that he suffered in the 31 July harmonised election. “The (MDC) president is still failing to accept that we were thrashed in the just ended elections. You could hear from his tone that the wounds of the defeat are still fresh,” said the source.
The source said the MDC-T national executive was just throwing questions on them on what could have caused the party to have lost the election to Zanu-PF.
“We all expected a way forward from our leaders but it seems the leadership itself has no clue on what to do as a way forward. We expected our leaders to tell us on the next move as a party but they kept questioning us how we lost elections as if it was only in the Midlands where the MDC-T suffered a defeat. We all know too well that our party lost the election in all the provinces save for Bulawayo and Harare,” said the source.
Online Reporter