admin
Tsvangirai will form the next government to guarantee their jobs.
The MDC-T leader torched a storm recently after offering to buy his official government residence valued at a whopping US$4,5 million and his official Mercedes Benz at blue-book value.
Sources at the PM’s office said the situation was compounded by the fact that many of the staffers are not civil servants as they failed to meet set criteria for employment and the draft constitution to be tabled in Parliament tomorrow abolishes the PM’s post if passed into law.
The majority of the most senior officers have since submitted their curriculum vitaes to the MDC-T expressing interest in contesting harmonised elections.
MDC-T insiders told The Herald that the staffers’ CVs were reportedly approved under controversial circumstances by the party hierarchy.
The sources said some of the staffers did not meet the minimum guidelines set by the MDC-T’s constitution but were sneaked into the parliamentary race by the party leadership through the back door.
Among those eyeing parliamentary seats are Mr Ian Makone, Mr James Maridadi, Mr Jacob Mafume and a Reverend Chisvo.
Mr Makone is reportedly targeting Goromonzi West, Mr Maridadi Mabvuku while Mr Mafume has expressed interest in Harare South. Rev Chisvo is reportedly interested in a seat in Gokwe.
“There is nothing strange in us as officers in the PM’s office to seek political office. Everything we do is political. The Government of National Unity is coming to an end and the draft Constitution, if enacted into law, does not provide for the PM’s office. We are therefore campaigning for political office,” said one of the staffers who requested for anonymity.
The staffer said it was not guaranteed that PM Tsvangirai would win the presidential elections against President Mugabe.
“If it was certain that he will win, we were simply going to work in the President’s Office. Anyone who thinks that we have no right to take part in a national process like elections is not in his right senses. It is our democratic right to participate in elections.”
So ambitious are officers in the PM’s Office such that they are not concerned by the manner their CVs were sneaked in against the party guidelines.
They argue that the party leadership saw the “value in us” and gave us the green light to take part in the primary elections.
“I managed to work in the PM’s Office and why should I go through a vetting process when I am always in the wings of the party president. The national council saw it fit that I contest the elections,” boasted another officer.
Mr Maridadi yesterday confirmed his interest in Mabvuku constituency.
“I am a bona fide Zimbabwean citizen qualified to participate in the political processes of this country representing a party of my choice,” he said.
When asked why the MDC-T bent its rules and allowed him to participate in the polls when he did not meet the minimum requirements, Mr Maridadi said: “That is not for me to respond but the national council. It is the prerogative of the national council to see who qualifies and who does not.”
Mr Mafume yesterday confirmed he had submitted his CVs eyeing Harare South Constituency. He dismissed assertions that staff in the PM’s office no longer had confidence in Mr Tsvangirai winning the presidency and are trying to secure life in Parliament.
“It signals a change of career and a show of confidence that we will be policy makers,” he said.
Other members of the PM’s office were not reachable for comment yesterday, but sources say they were in the race.
The party’s spokesperson Mr Douglas Mwonzora could not be reached for a comment yesterday as he was attending meetings in his constituency in Nyanga.
Several recent surveys have tipped Zanu-PF to steamroll the MDC-T in the harmonised elections, which the MDC-T is desperately trying to have postponed to September.
Online Reporter