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Herald Reporters —-
MDC-T has fired its newly-elected mayor for Mutare and three other councillors for rejecting the candidate sponsored by the party for the mayoral post and voting a Zanu-PF candidate as deputy mayor. The embattled opposition party also instituted a witch-hunt in Kwekwe, Redcliff and Victoria Falls yesterday in a bid to flush out rebel councillors who voted for Zanu-PF candidates as mayors.
In Gweru, MDC-T councillors rejected the preferred candidate for the party and voted for a different party councillor for the mayoral post.
Sources said the move to expel the councillors did not go down well with some senior party members who were behind the rebellion as a way of sending a clear message to Mr Morgan Tsvangirai that time for him was up after he lost presidential elections on July 31.
The mayoral election has intensified in-fighting within MDC-T structures, pitting the faction led by secretary-general Mr Tendai Biti against that led by Mr Tsvangirai.
The Manicaland provincial executive, which has openly showed its support for Mr Biti, was agitated by the election of Clr Tatenda Nhamarare who is alleged to be in the other camp aligned to Mr Tsvangirai.
Despite winning 13 of the 19 seats in Mutare, MDC-T’s nominated candidates — Thomas Nyamupanedengu (mayor) and Kudakwashe Chisango (deputy) — lost the election after Clrs Nhamarare, Richard Mupfura, Pamela Mutare and Farai Bhiza allegedly crossed the floor.
They are accused of joining hands with Zanu-PF’s six councillors to elect Ward 8 councillor Mr Nhamarare as the mayor, while Zanu-PF’s Ward 15 councillor Cde Collin Mukwada was elected deputy mayor.
According to section 278 of the Constitution, the seats held by the councillors would become vacant if the MDC-T notifies Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister Ignatius Chombo that they are no longer members of the party.
MDC-T provincial spokesperson Mr Pishai Muchauraya said in an interview with our Mutare Bureau that the decision to fire the councillors followed strong recommendations from the party’s supporters in Mutare.
“The party’s supporters are recommending that the four councillors be recalled from council and expelled from the party,” he said.
When asked to explain how the party knew that the four voted against its preferred candidates when the elections were conducted by secret ballot, Mr Muchauraya said: “Before the elections, they tried to persuade the other councillors to their side, saying they will be paid.
“Even during the voting process, they showed their ballots to “their Zanu-PF colleagues”. We will follow internal party processes, but obviously we are worried that these people have actually betrayed the vote and confidence of the MDC-T supporters in Mutare who voted them into power. People now know that these councillors are no longer representing their interests in council.”
But Clr Nhamarare said Mr Muchauraya and company had no mandate to fire anyone.
“We did not receive any bribes and I don’t know where they got what they are saying from because the voting was done through secret ballot,” he said. “I was voted to be the mayor and I don’t know who voted for me.”
During Monday’s elections, Clr Nhamarare polled 10 votes against Clr Nyamupanedengu who had nine votes to land the mayoral post, while Clr Mukwada won with the same margin.
Soon after the elections, MDC-T supporters who had thronged the Civic Centre to witness the event walked out frustrated, shouting obscenities at Clr Nhamarare.
MDC-T spokesperson Mr Douglas Mwonzora said the provincial executive had the powers to suspend and recommend the firing of a party official.
He said the party tasked its provincial structures for the concerned municipalities to flush out the “trouble makers”.
“The process that is taking place involves consultations with the wards in which each of the councillors come from,” he said. “If you celebrate like a Dynamos fan after a Dynamos goal, then it’s obvious you support Dynamos.”
In Redcliff, three MDC-T councillors voted for Zanu-PF candidate Cde Freddy Kapuya for the mayoral post after he received five votes against MDC-T’s Takura Chikwiri’s four in a council in which Zanu-PF has two seats against the MDC-T’s seven.
In Kwekwe, Zanu-PF candidate Cde Matenda Madzoke garnered nine votes against the MDC-T’s Aaron Gwalazimba who received five despite that the town has 14 wards evenly split seven apiece between Zanu-PF and MDC-T.
In Victoria Falls, Zanu-PF’s Sifiso Mpofu won the race for the top post despite the party having three councillors against MDC-T’s seven whose candidate Margaret Valley lost.
In Gweru, Hamutendi Kombayi pipped the MDC-T’s first choice trade unionist Charles Chikozho, to land the mayor’s post. The party’s official position was that Chikozho would take the mayoral post, while Kombayi would become the deputy.
In other cities and towns, councillor for ward 17, Mount Pleasant Bernard Manyenyeni (MDC-T) was elected mayor for Harare. He will be deputised by Kambuzuma councillor Thomas Muzuva (MDC-T).
In Chitungwiza, Clr Phillip Mutoti was elected mayor after garnering 14 votes against Dr Fredrick Mabamba’s (Zanu-PF) 10.
For Chegutu, Clr Leo Gwanzura of MDC-T defeated Zanu-PF’s Cllr Anywhere Mukutuma to become mayor.
Kadoma town’s new mayor is MDCT’s Clr Muchineripi Munyan’anya who narrowly beat Zanu-PF’s Clr Langton Mabhanga by nine votes against eight.
In Bindura, Zanu-PF’s Ward 4 Clr Innocent Zvigumbu was elected mayor while Clr Gladys Tlou (Ward 10) was re-elected chairperson of Beitbridge Rural District Council.
Cde Showa Moyo (Ward 5) will chair the Beitbridge Town Council.
MDC-T ward 6 councillor Mr Hubert Fidze was elected the new Masvingo mayor, while Zanu-PF’s Clr Mr Antony Makwindi is now the mayor for Marondera after winning uncontested.
In Bulawayo, Ward 3 Clr Martin K Moyo was elected unopposed as mayor, while Clr Gift Banda (MDC-T) was elected his deputy.
Online Reporter