adminstruggles to win back the lost support of the electorate owing to corruption.
Most councillors in cities and towns that were elected on an MDC-T ticket in the last harmonised elections were implicated in scandals and corruption, a situation that has alienated the party from the electorate as fresh polls loom.
While primary elections and the confirmation exercise for members of Parliament and rural councils would go on tomorrow, elections for the party’s council candidates have been shelved.
Sources in the party yesterday said the selection of MDC-T aspiring council candidates for Chiredzi town and Masvingo city has been shelved to allow for rigorous vetting of the aspiring candidates.
The sources added that the party’s national elections directorate would first rigorously vet all the aspiring council candidates before allowing them to contest on an MDC-T ticket.
“There was a lot of damage that was visited to the party owing to the calibre of some councillors that we allowed to represent us in the last elections. Most of those councillors ended up denting the party’s image owing to their corrupt tendencies. So all aspiring candidates will first be vetted and given the greenlight to contest by the national elections directorate,’’ said a source.
MDC-T Masvingo provincial spokesperson Mr Harrison Mudzuri yesterday confirmed the development saying election of candidates for Masvingo city and Chiredzi town had been shelved pending vetting of aspiring candidates by the national elections directorate.
“We are not going to have primary elections for councillors in Masvingo city and Chiredzi town. All aspiring candidates have to be vetted first by the national elections directorate to make sure that they are the right candidates. Previously we have had situations where some councillors have dented the party’s image,’’ said Mr Mudzuri.
Most urban councils run by MDC-T councillors have become havens of corruption resulting in their party suspending them.
Online Reporter