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Midlands Correspondent
MDC-T candidate for Gweru Urban, Mr Sessil Zvidzayi, broke down at the sitting of the nomination court in Gweru early Saturday morning after he failed to convince officials to reject a rival’s nomination papers. Mr Zvidzayi had wanted officials to throw away former Gweru mayor, Mr Tedious Chimombe’s papers on the basis that they had an open palm symbol similar to that of the MDC-T.
Mr Chimombe, who was fired from MDC-T on allegations of corruption, filed his papers to contest in Gweru Urban as an independent candidate. He drew the ire, and tears of his rival, Mr Zvidzayi after he used an open palm with his picture as his campaign symbol.
According to sources, a teary Mr Zvidzayi argued that allowing Mr Chimombe to use the open palm symbol in the 31 July harmonised elections would “confuse” the electorate as it is the same as that of the MDC-T.
The nomination court, however, dismissed his objections arguing that the MDC-T symbol was black in colour and had its president, Mr Morgan Tsvangirai’s picture on it while Mr Chimombe’s was red and had his picture.
The sources said Mr Zvidzayi, a family man and former Gweru mayor and Deputy Minister of Local Government, Rural and Urban Development, was too emotional to take the explanation and promptly started wailing, shocking officials and fellow aspiring candidates. The awkward early morning drama occurred on Saturday at around 1am.
“It was an embarrassing moment for Mr Zvidzayi when he failed to control himself and wailed. He was taken outside by other aspiring MDC-T MPs who were in the nomination court but the incident drew laughter from across crowd which was in the nomination court during the night,” said the source.
Mr Chimombe confirmed the incident yesterday. He said he also failed to control himself and laughed his lungs out on seeing Mr Zvidzayi in tears.
“I was also surprised to see a man of Mr Zvidzayi’s standing wailing in public. It drew laughter from the whole house because his argument was dismissed. He wanted to have my papers rejected on the basis of a symbol,” he said.
Mr Chimombe said his symbol was different from that of the MDC-T.
“To begin with my palm symbol is not upright like that of the MDC-T. There is my picture on that palm and the MDC-T palm symbol bears the picture of the party president. What Mr Zvidzayi failed to understand is that the MDC-T has no monopoly over the palm sign neither do Zanu-PF have monopoly over the fist sign’” he said.
Mr Zvidzayi promised to come back to Chronicle when he was contacted for comment yesterday. The MDC-T national director of elections was not picking up his mobile phone thereafter; perhaps embarrassed that he had taken his fear of his opponent, and of elections themselves, way too far.
Online Reporter