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ahead of the close of submission of nomination papers this Thursday.
The suspension of the party’s Gutu North district executive was reportedly caused by infighting along factional lines that is ensuing in almost all the MDC-T districts in Masvingo as party primary elections
dates draw near.
There are two main factions in the MDC-T in Masvingo with one being led by provincial chairman Mr Wilstaf Sitemere while another faction is believed to be led by businessman Mr Bernad Chiondegwa.
Sources in the party this week said the infighting has been simmering since the messy provincial elections which Mr Chiondegwa’s faction lost to Mr Sitemere’s faction in the run-up to the party’s elective conference that was held in Bulawayo.
So intense is the factional infighting in the MDC-T in Masvingo that Mr Sitemere has reportedly left his traditional Masvingo North seat in order to contest the Masvingo mayoral post that is currently being held by Alderman Femius Chakabuda.
Alderman Chakabuda who has also submitted his papers to contest the Masvingo mayorship is believed to be non aligned though the Mr Sitemere faction suspects that his sympathies lie with the Mr Chiondegwa faction.
The suspension of the Gutu North executive follows intense infighting amongst party leaders who reportedly want to oust the sitting legislator Mr Hamandishe Maramwidze of the Mr Sitemere faction.
Mr Maramwidze is reportedly aligned to the Mr Sitemere faction.
Mr Sitemere yesterday confirmed the suspension of the MDC-T Gutu North executive but denied the suspension was caused by infighting amongst party leaders in the district.
He said the suspension of the Mr Gerald Chitsa led district executive in Gutu North was motivated by the need to realign operations by party leaders in the district.
“Yes we suspended the Gutu North district executive but it’s not true that the suspension was caused by infighting amongst party leaders we simply want to realign operations of the leaders and once we do that then the executive will get back to work,”he said.
Party insiders yesterday said so intense was the infighting in Gutu North that party structures had virtually collapsed as a result of the ensuing acrimony along factional fault lines.
Besides Gutu North the MDC-T in Masvingo has also reportedly failed to establish structures in Mwenezi West district and Chiredzi which are Zanu PF strongholds.
However Mr Sitemere said they were in the process of setting up those structures.
The MDC-T provincial chairman was also evasive when asked about whether he was going to challenge Alderman Chakabuda for the Masvingo mayoral post.
“It is not true that I have submitted my nomination papers to stand as
Masvingo mayor during the next elections but if people ask me to stand I will heed their call.In fact for your own information people have been approaching me to stand as Masvingo mayor since a long time back,”he said.
Besides Mr Sitemere and Alderman Chakabuda Masvingo district chairman Mr David Charirwe is also reportedly eyeing the to represent MDC-T in mayoral elections.
Alderman Chakabuda confirmed that he had submitted his papers to stand as the MDC-T mayoral candidate.
“It is true I am going to stand for the mayoral post on an MDC-T ticket and I hear there are one or two candidates such as (Mr) Sitemere who I am made to believe also wants to contest and I am aware of who is pushing him,”said Alderman Chakabuda without elaborating.
Several sitting MDC-T legislators’s political careers are also reportedly hanging by a thread as they are being challenged by other party cadres precipitating an intense battle for survival that has assumed factional overtones.
In Masvingo Central constituency the incumbent legislator Mr Jeffreyson Chitando’s career is reportedly under threat from a number of party young Turks who have reportedly forced him to consider abandoning his constituency to try his luck as the MDC-T Masvingo senatorial candidate.
Online Reporter