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Temba Dube Senior Reporter
DAGGERS have been drawn in MDC-T Bulawayo province after candidates who won council elections vowed to oppose the imposition of a mayor and his deputy by the party’s national executive.
A number of party members yesterday alleged the national executive had decided to make newcomers, National University of Science and Technology (Nust) lecturer Dr Mandla Nyathi, the mayor and Mr Gift Banda his deputy.
Mr Banda is the winning candidate in Ward 5.
Recently, the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Local Government, Rural and Urban Development, Mr Killian Mpingo disclosed that only elected councillors can be elected to the positions of mayors and chairpersons of the 92 local authorities.
However, party members in Bulawayo were adamant that a clause in the Urban Councils Act allowed the party to select a mayor outside the 29 elected councillors.
They cited the 2008 case that saw Harare councillors elect an outsider, Mr Muchadeyi Masunda, as the city’s mayor.
“The national executive has decided to impose people who have no history in the party ahead of senior members who have been toiling for the MDC-T since its inception. We shall have the last laugh because at the end of the day it is councillors who will vote to decide who gets the positions,” said a councillor.
The city has a history of defying the national executive.
Last year, councillors refused to elect people who had been selected by the party as council committee chairpersons.
A senior party official said the “strange” choices for the mayor and his deputy were fuelled by greed and a desire by some senior officials to position themselves for the MDC-T congress scheduled for 2016.
“Factionalism has destroyed the party. We believe Dr Nyathi and Mr Banda have been favoured to ensure that Khupe (Thokozani, MDC-T deputy president) maintains a grip on Bulawayo. That is the reason why there has been imposition of candidates which were the party’s downfall in the just ended harmonised elections.
It seems the leaders have not learned anything,” said the official.
Contacted for comment, MDC-T Bulawayo spokesperson Mr Mandla Sibanda dismissed the allegations by party members.
“Those comments are simply mud-slinging meant to make some people who are in the race for the positions look bad.
As a party we are still working out modalities of coming up with candidates who have qualities to run a metropolitan province. We are considering a number of names and we shall soon make a decision,” said Mr Sibanda.
He said the party was waiting for an Act of Parliament that would regulate appointment of the officials.
“All this speculation about the congress is rubbish. Everyone, even senior party officials are also speculating on the issue of the mayors.
“It would be safe to wait for Parliament,” said Mr Sibanda, who denied that MDC-T was, itself, speculating by presuming that the Act would allow outsiders to be considered.
MDC-T youths have reportedly written a petition questioning the party’s internal democratic systems and processes, including the imposition of mayoral candidates.
Senior officials in the party have been quoted in the Press alleging there was tension after party leader, Mr Morgan Tsvangirai began to directly appoint mayors, their deputies and chairpersons of committees in various cities and towns won by the MDC-T.
Online Reporter