adminCletus Mushanawani in MUTARE
One of the eight candidates vying for the Dangamvura-Chikanga constituency in Wednesday’s by-election, Mr Maxwell Teedzai, has withdrawn his candidature and now supports Zanu-PF.
In an interview on Thursday, Mr Teedzai said he decided to withdraw from the race after receiving a raw deal from his little known party, Transform Zimbabwe, which only availed $50 to him which he used to pay the nomination court fees.
He ended up getting just $47 after $3 was deducted by Ecocash as service charges.
“After a deep soul searching, I have decided to withdraw my candidature for the Dangamvura-Chikanga House of Assembly by-election scheduled for June 10,” said Mr Teedzai.
“I am also resigning from the party and my position as the Manicaland provincial spokesperson with immediate effect.
“Though this is a tough decision, I have realised that my party, Transform Zimbabwe, is not taking the by-election seriously and in the process trivialising the electorate.”
“The party president or any other senior member of the party has never addressed us as a province about the elections or even avail resources for the by-election. I have been using my resources to fund the election preparations and the campaign which to me shows the lack of seriousness on the part of our national executive.”
Mr Teedzai said he was throwing his weight behind the Zanu-PF candidate Cde Isau Mupfumi.
“I feel he has the best prospects of unlocking development in the constituency,” he said. “We have a Zanu-PF Government and being a member of the ruling party, he can take critical issues affecting the constituency to various Government and party fora.”
He added: “As a businessman he has been invaluable to Manicaland province as most of his key national investments are in the province. He is now one of the biggest employers in Mutare and an inspiration to upcoming entrepreneurs.
“Being a professional gospel artiste, I was also hoping to represent the interests of artistes in Parliament but again, Cde Mupfumi is better positioned to deliver on that as he is a renowned music promoter. He has helped to promote, empower and unify musicians by facilitating joint shows.”
Transform Zimbabwe national communication secretary Dr Sungai Mazando confirmed Mr Teedzai’s withdrawal and described him as an opportunist.
“It is true that we only availed $50 for his nomination fees because as a party we want transparency,” he said. “Mr Teedzai claimed that he had used $1 500 to campaign for the party, but he failed to justify how he spent the money.”
Cde Mupfumi said it was important for people to take an introspection before they plunge into political races.
“People should know that Zanu-PF is the people’s party,” he said. “It is the party of yesterday, today and the future. I think Teedzai should have taken Vice President Mnangagwa’s words seriously during his address at St Mary’s Secondary School in Chikanga on Tuesday where he told people that only Zanu-PF is the party of choice in Zimbabwe,” he said.
Online Reporter