Councillors scoff at dismissal claims

Mr Sesil Zvidzai that they were expelled from the party for allegedly taking orders from Zanu-PF.
Mr Zvidzai, who is also the Local Government, Urban and Rural Development Deputy Minister, announced last week that he had expelled the six councilors from the party after they petitioned Minister Ignatious Chombo to suspend Mayor Tinashe Madamombe on allegations of corruption.
The six are deputy mayor Ivory Matanhire, Makesure Mafukidze, Norbet Dhokotera, Rindai Muchemwa, Rickson Muchemwa and Elizabeth Mafios.
In an interview yesterday, Clr Dhokotera said they had done nothing wrong that warrants dismissal from the party.
Instead, he accused Mr Zvidzai of acting unprocedurally in the matter.
Mr Zvidzai, he said, did not follow laid down procedures according to the party’s constitution when dismissing any member.
Clr Dhokotera said they were not called for hearing and have not been served with dismissal letters.
He said they only heard of the purported dismissal in the Press.
Clr Dhokotera said there was no way they could have sidelined Minister Chombo in their matter because he was the man on the apex of local Government issues.
“We have not received any letter of dismissal and our position is that we are still MDC-T members and I am the party’s treasurer general here.
“As far as we know, a deputy minister cannot fire or suspend a councillor and this is why we approached Minister Chombo. We did not approach him as a Zanu-PF member but as the responsible minister,” he said.
His colleague Clr Mafios said Mr Zvidzai’s decision was a one-man decision since they were not called for any hearing.
She said they had a letter from the party’s secretary general Mr Tendai Biti saying they should not recognise Mr Madamombe as the mayor.
She said the letter instructed them to back councillor Daniso Wakatama who was later fired for flouting tender procedures.
She said they were still waiting for Mr Biti’s advice following the expulsion of Clr Wakatama.
“We have done nothing wrong. We expressed a vote of no confidence in Madamombe and the party instituted a team to probe why we have done that.
“The team comprises of Jessie Majome, Last Maengehama and one called Mazango. The team was convinced by our reasons and Mr Biti wrote a letter supporting our position,” she said.
However, Mr Zvidzai yesterday tried to defend his position saying: “How can I communicate with sellouts and renegades? I communicate with people who respect the party and anyone who works with another party to the detriment of our own party is a renegade.
“These councillors know that well. By co-operating with Zanu-PF they are already Zanu-PF members.”