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domestic and foreign allies who have all forecast a Zanu-PF victory, poor or no structures in areas outside its traditional urban strongholds and a failure to come up with an anti-thesis to Zanu-PF’s indigenisation and economic empowerment drive that has since delivered 59 community share ownership trusts countrywide — had forced the party to postpone primary elections and seek a deferment of elections pursuant to putting Harvest House in order.
Elections are constitutionally due on or before June 29 when the life of the inclusive Government expires.
The MDC-T list, titled “MDC National Panel of Approved Candidates 2013 Elections” has a number of revelations, chief among them that some animals are more equal than others at Harvest House as all the party’s standing committee members are not being contested in primary elections along with other senior members who are close to party leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai.
The MDC-T standing committee, the party’s highest decision-making organ which is chaired by Mr Tsvangirai, is made up of 13 people among them national chairman Lovemore Moyo, secretary-general Tendai Biti and his deputy Tapiwa Mashakada, organising secretary Nelson Chamisa, women’s assembly chairperson Theresa Makone, and deputy treasurer Elton Mangoma who all qualified for the primaries unopposed.
Only Abednico Bhebhe who sits in the committee and is the MDC-T deputy organising secretary, is facing challenge from one Nomathemba Ndlovu probably because he initially went with the so-called Pro-Senate faction after the party’s acrimonious split of October 2005.
In cases where junior party members dared to challenge standing committee members, they were either disqualified or pushed to other constituencies.
Incumbent legislators are expected to undergo a controversial confirmation process where they were initially supposed to get two thirds majority backing before being subjected to primaries before the threshold was lowered to half of two thirds.
One Erick Mandisonza who dared challenge the party’s spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora in Nyanga North was disqualified, while Annet Jangano was also barred from challenging Mr Tapiwa Mashakada in Hatfield.
Mr Elias Mudzuri who is a national council member is also standing unopposed after his rivals Sifelani Moyo and Paddington Japajapa were disqualified.
In Bulawayo Mr Gorden Moyo qualified for Makokoba constituency unopposed after running party vice president Ms Thokozani Khupe out of town while the party’s former chairperson for the youth assembly Thamsanqa Mahlangu is standing unchallenged for Nkulumane constituency.
The second revelation is that some groups masquerading as civil society organisations are de facto incubators for MDC-T politicians. For instance the president of the Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe Takavafira Zhou is vying for a seat in Mberengwa North while Mr Arnold Tsunga known more as one time executive director of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights as well as the acting executive secretary of the Law Society of Zimbabwe and national chairperson of Zimbabwe Human Rights Association, is eyeing the Chikanga in Manicaland.
Other civil society members eyeing the MDC-T ticket are Promise Mkwananzi formerly with Zinasu, Lovemore Kadenge president of the Zimbabwe Economic Society who has all along been instrumental in drafting MDC-T programmes like the abortive RESTART that was launched in 2008.
Thirdly the pattern of candidates shows that urban and peri-urban areas where the MDC-T has traditionally fared well show stiff competition with some constituencies attracting upto 10 aspirants with the pattern tapering off in rural constituencies and traditional Zanu-PF strongholds where the MDC-T failed to attract candidates in a number of cases.
For instance no one dared stand for the MDC-T in Mwenezi held by Cde Kudakwashe Bhasikiti, and Chiredzi North whereas in Chiredzi South, all three aspirants failed to meet the criteria a development that points to possible mediocrity.
In the Matabeleland provinces there is competition in Bulawayo and Matabeleland North where the MDC-T has traditionally fared well with indifference setting coming in going into Matabeleland South where Zanu-PF has always fared well.
In Mashonaland there is no competition in Mashonaland East, West and Central which are traditional Zanu-PF strongholds with interest only peaking in Bindura and Mazowe which are urban and peri-urban areas.
Masvingo shows interest around the town and its environs with the MDC-T failing to attract candidates in a number of constituencies amid reports that the party had resorted to offering cash to prospective candidates as an inducement after it failed to attract people to stand on its ticket in Mwenezi and Chivi districts, which are Zanu-PF strongholds. The MDC-T failed to find takers in Mwenezi East, Mwenezi West, Chiredzi North and Chiredzi East.
The Midlands shows intense interest in constituencies in and around Gweru and Kwekwe as well as Gokwe Kabuyuni with the interest dissipating with distance from the towns.
Manicaland, where MDC-T fared well in the last election, grabbing 20 out of the 26 seats available does not show much competition since incumbents have to go through the controversial confirmation. Notable aspirants are security guard Shepherd Maisiri, father to Christpowers who perished in an unfortunate accident earlier this year, who appears to have used that tragedy to launch a bid for the Headlands ticket.
Fourth, staff in Mr Tsvangirai’s premier office are scrambling for political office amid reports they do not fancy Mr Tsvangirai’s chances at the polls to guarantee their jobs. Notables eyeing parliament are Ian Makone (Goromonzi), James Maridadi (Mabvuku), Jacob Mafumhe (Harare South), Valentine Ziswa () and a Reverend John Chisvo (Gokwe Chireya).
Other notable contestants are journalists Geoffrey Nyarota and Grace Kwinjeh (Makoni South), disc jockeys Eric Knight and Ezra Sibanda (Mbare and Vingu), Shakespeare Maya; ex-Zanu-PF, ex NAGG, ex-ZIYA who is eyeing Goromonzi South; former ZUJ president Mathew Takaona’s mother Mrs Henerica Takaona who is eyeing Gutu North.
The distribution of interest by aspiring candidates that is concentrated around urban areas appears to show that the MDC-T has not grown beyond its showing in the last election, if anything, the party may have actually regressed which explains why party members are clamoring for perceived safe seats in urban and peri-urban areas.
Online Reporter