Tshangilani on a name changing mission of some places in Mthwakazi. Tsvangirai on fire fighting mission in Mat North June 21, 2013 Senior Reporters MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai is on a whirl wind tour of Matabeleland North province in a fire fighting mission as he moves to try and contain factionalism that has torn apart his party. In what observers view as a panic reaction of fear of defeat ahead of the next month’s elections, Mr Tsvangirai would visit hotspots to plead for support from members of the business community and traditional leaders. According to a programme from Mr Tsvangirai’s press office, littered with misspelt Ndebele names, the MDC-T leader was in Binga yesterday. But the meetings including one with the business community flopped as they were poorly attended. After realising that no businesspeople were turning up for the meeting at Binga Growth Point, Mr Tsvangirai’s aides attempted to save face by hastily arranging a rally. The rally too flopped at Binga Rest Lodge after a small crowd showed up. The Binga businesspeople said the aborted business meeting was going to be nothing, but a mere talk show to peddle MDC-T propaganda. The consultative business meeting was expected to start at 10am, but Mr Tsvangirai delayed pitching up at the venue in the vain hope people would have gathered. When Mr Tsvangirai eventually arrived at 14.30pm, staff from his office said the business consultative meeting would be held after a party meeting at Binga Rest Lodge. The media was barred from attending the Rest Lodge meeting since it was an internal party meeting. Mr Tsvangirai’s spokesman Mr Luke Tamborinyoka said his boss combined the business consultative meeting with the party meeting because of time. But sources said there were no business people in that meeting. “Nothing relating to business was discussed,” said a source. “What we did was to audit party structures in Binga as we head towards the harmonised elections.” A Binga businessman who identified himself as Mr Sibanda dismissed Mr Tsvangirai’s business meeting. “Since we voted MDC-T MPs here nothing has changed and we wonder what this so-called business meeting sought to achieve a few weeks before election,” he said. “We know that he (PM Tsvangirai) wanted to use that platform to peddle his party’s propaganda and we refused to be used that way.” Mr Tsvangirai was also expected to tour Muchesu Government Hospital and the Bulawayo Kraal. In the programme written by Mr Tsvangirai’s chief press officer Mr Conrad Mwanawashe, Mathetshaneni Primary School in Nkayi District is referred to as Matichaneni Primary while Ziminya business centre is referred to as Zimunya business centre. Zimunya is in Manicaland province. Mr Tsvangirai would today hold meetings in Nkosikazi area in Bubi district where he would also attend a field day at Khupe’s homestead before addressing a rally. He would proceed to Tsholotsho tomorrow for a meeting at the business centre before going Sipepa area in Tsholotsho North to try and drum up support for Mrs Rose Sipepa Nkomo, who has been facing rejection by the party structures. Mrs Nkomo is wife to Mr Samuel Sipepa Nkomo the MDC-T MP for Bulawayo’s Njube-Lobengula constituency and is set to face Professor Jonathan Moyo of Zanu-PF in the elections. The MDC-T leader would also visit Lupane on the same day and end with Nkayi district on Sunday in what is viewed as an effort to appease angry party supporters who have accused his leadership of imposing Mr Abednigo Bhebhe and Mr Njabuliso Mguni, who were fired from the Professor Welshman Ncube MDC formation and later joined his party. Mr Bhebhe and Mr Mguni won the MDC-T primaries despite stiff resistance from party structures who regarded them as “rebels”. In Nkayi, Mr Tsvangirai would meet traditional leaders at Ziminya Business Centre and then proceed to Mathetshaneni Primary School for a soccer tournament before holding a rally in the afternoon. The divisions rocking the party structures in Matabeleland North come at a time Zanu-PF has gained ground in constituencies controlled by MDC-T. Meanwhile, MDC-T leadership has set itself on a collision course with the party’s supporters in Bulawayo, after upholding a decision to have a primary election re-run in Emakhandeni constituency. Party supporters held a demonstration on Sunday at Emakhandeni Hall, denouncing MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai and his deputy Ms Thokozani Khupe for sending a team to announce the re-run in the constituency. Councillor Prince Dube of Ward 10 won the right to represent the party in the National Assembly elections, beating seven other candidates last month. When news filtered through yesterday that the re-run would be held tomorrow, party members vowed to block the election. “Our leaders have chosen to turn a deaf ear on the emphatic statement that we made on Sunday. As far as we know, there was no appeal that was filed against the manner in which the election was held. We believe the party wants to impose Reverend Useni Sibanda. We shall block the election,” said an MDC-T member. An official in the party said a number of the party’s supporters had said they would boycott the re-run. “We are told leaders of the province told the electoral directorate in Harare on Wednesday that a majority of people in the province supported the re-run. “We are told they said the Chronicle story about the demonstration was false. A section of members have indicated that they will not turn up to vote in the re-run. They say they made their choice and if the party wanted to change it, it could go ahead without their involvement,” said the official. A number of party members alleged that factionalism was behind the decision. The factions are led by Senator Matson Hlalo of Mzilikazi on one hand and the other by DPM Khupe, who works with provincial chairperson Mr Gorden Moyo. “The Gorden Moyo faction has official influence so they are manipulating results to ensure that they have more of their people in leadership positions. Clr Dube who does not belong to either faction is just a victim of the power struggles,” said member of the party. A candidates list that was finalised by the MDC-T election directorate on Wednesday shows the Gorden Moyo faction having the upper hand as it has six candidates against Senator Hlalo’s three. Out of the 12 constituencies in the city, two candidates have not been aligned to either faction. The list shows that, Mr Moyo would stand in Makokoba, Mr Reggie Moyo in Luveve, Mr Albert Mhlanga in Pumula, while Bulawayo Central would be represented by Ms Dorcas Sibanda, Mr Anele Ndebele would run in Magwegwe, and Mr Bekithemba Nyathi in Mpopoma. The six candidates are linked to the Moyo faction. Winning candidates aligned to the Hlalo faction are Mr Thamsanqa Mahlangu who won in Nkulumane, Ms Thabitha Khumalo in Bulawayo East and Mr Eddie Cross in Bulawayo South. The two neutrals are Dr Sipepa Nkomo who would run in Lobengula and Mr Phelela Masuku in Nketa. Contacted for comment on the re-run yesterday, MDC-T national spokesperson Mr Douglas Mwonzora said party members who demonstrate risked having the candidate they support, being disqualified. “There was an appeal and the electoral directorate looked at it and found merit in it. A re-run has been ordered in Emakhandeni and is set for Saturday,” said Mr Mwonzora. He declined to name the person who made the appeal. Mr Mwonzora said it was untrue that the Bulawayo provincial leadership influenced the decision for a re-run on Wednesday by misinforming the directorate, saying the decision was made last week.
Posted on: Fri, 21 Jun 2013 04:28:06 +0000
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