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The bickering comes amid revelations that party members were already campaigning for the provincial organising and deputy organising secretary posts left vacant by suspended Councillor Canaan Dzingiso and his deputy, former Zvishavane Town Council chairman Clr Alluwis Zhou.
Clr Dzingiso and Clr Zhou are among the MDC-T members who were either fired or suspended from the party over allegations of corruption.
Sources said party members were now jostling for the vacant posts with those sympathising with the suspended members accusing Mr Chibaya of being weak.
The sources said the suspended members were accusing MP Chibaya who is also a member of the party national executive of failing to represent the faction’s interests at national level.
“All is not well within the MDC-T Midlands South province. The suspended members of the party, who are all from the Jatropha faction, are accusing their leader, MP Chibaya, of failing to counter the leader of the other faction, Masowe, Mr Zvidzai. The two, Mr Zvidzai and MP Chibaya, are both in the party’s national executive and it seems Mr Zvidzai is more effective in pushing the interests of his faction compared to MP Chibaya. The Jatropha faction is bitter about MP Chibaya’s shortcomings,” said the source. Gweru Mayor, Clr Tedious Chimombe, who is from the Jatropha faction, is among the 12 that were dismissed by MDC-T from its structures for alleged corruption.
“The Jatropha camp is now campaigning for the lost posts which were held by their suspended or dismissed colleagues. They are at the same time trying to rope into their camp a more senior and politically mature leader in the form of Minister Matibenga,” said the source.
Contacted for comment, the party spokesperson for Midlands South Clr James Tsuro confirmed that members were now campaigning for the vacant posts.
Mr Tsuro who however denied intra-party fighting, said the provincial executive was still waiting for a directive from the national executive to conduct formal campaigns for the vacant posts.
“It’s true and normal that people are beginning to strategically position themselves for the posts, which were left vacant following the suspension of some party members. The suspended members held provincial executive posts. There is, however, no factionalism in the province as we believe that MDC is one and our aim is to maintain unity so as to dislodge our enemy,” he said.
Mr Chibaya also denied that he was the leader of the Jatropha faction.
“Yes, people are free to campaign for posts but to say there is factionalism within our party is not true. I do not lead any faction in the Midlands province and what I know is that there is nothing like Chibaya faction or Zvidzai faction in the province. Zvidzai and Chibaya are members of the national executive and we both belong to one party led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and nothing more,” he said.
Mr Chibaya said those who were involved in factionalism were not members of the party.
“Those who believe in Masowe or Jatropha camps are not members of the party, they still have the Zanu-PF mentality of intra-fighting. The national executive addressed all issues to do with that and those camps no longer exist in the province,” he said.
Online Reporter