MDC-T leader Thokozani Khupe (pictured) has assured her supporters
that she was still in the presidential race, dismissing speculative
social media reports suggesting that she had withdrawn her candidacy to
support Zanu PF’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
The claims, which were posted on a social media platform, Twitter,
running under the page “Exposing Zimbabwe Election Rigging 2018”, quoted
Khupe’s deputy, Obert Gutu as the source of the report.
Part of the message read: “…We are weighing our options to rally
behind ED and Zanu PF on the presidential campaign, we have our team on
the ground campaigning and soon we will make a big announcement. Some
will say we betrayed the electorate but the fact of the matter is that
we have found nothing wrong with the new administration.
“We believe ED is reforming and we will rally behind him, we want to
taste his new approach, so we will soon withdraw our presidential
candidate Thokozani Khupe to put our weight behind Zanu PF and ED”, it
read.
But, Gutu yesterday described the reports as fictitious and meant to tarnish the party’s image ahead of the July 30 elections.
“It has come to my attention that there is a Twitter #hashtag
claiming to have had an interview with me, in which I am alleged to have
stated that we are going to withdraw the presidential candidature of
Thokozani Khupe in favour of President Emmerson Mnangagwa of Zanu PF.
“I believe whoever is behind this is obviously someone who is evil
and is pushing a sinister agenda against myself and our political party
in general”, he said.
Gutu said he was not interviewed by any journalist or anyone.
“Let me reiterate that there is nothing like that, I never had any
interview with anyone or any journalist in this country or anywhere in
the world for that matter in which I stated that we are withdrawing our
presidential candidate.
“Let me put it on record that there is a lot of fake news that is
spreading on these social media platforms and I would like Zimbabweans
to be very cautious of what they consume in terms of news content, this
is not the first time that this has happened, I have taken this
opportunity to come out and set the record straight,” he said.
According to the party’s Twitter posts on @VoteMDCT2018, MDC-T is not
working with Zanu PF, has never worked with them and has no arrangement
with the party.
The opposition party also refuted allegations that it was a regional
party. The party’s Dangamvura/Chikanga parliamentary candidate Lynette
Mudehwe told journalists in Mutare at the weekend that Khupe had fielded
candidates in all provinces to prove the party was national.
“I have been invited here in Mutare as a political party not in
Bulawayo. I am representing my president Thokozani Khupe, I am standing
as an aspiring MP for Dangamvura/Chikanga constituency,’’ she said.
“So I hear people saying my party is a regional party where are you
getting it from? That is very unfair to say that my party is a regional
party, the media should not misinform people that we are a regional
party, no, we are not, but we represent all Zimbabweans,” she said
In May, Khupe’s MDC-T, Dumiso Dabengwa (Zapu), secessionist Mthwakazi
Republic Party (Mqondisi Moyo), Lovemore Moyo’s United Movement for
Devolution (UMD) and Moses Mzila Ndlovu’s Alliance for National
Salvation (Ansa) attempted to form a regional pact, but the talks
collapsed after Khupe allegedly demanded that the coalition should run
under the MDC-T banner. Newsday
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