CHAOS characterised the recently held MDC ward and district
congresses in Midlands and Beitbridge where new structures were being elected
ahead of the national crunch event set for May.
Top party officials eyeing posts at the provincial as well
as national executive levels and those seeking to place their loyalists in the
structures to position themselves to contest in the 2023 general elections were
said to be behind the chaos.
Violence erupted at the provincial party office in Gweru
where the district was holding youths, women and the main wing elections on
Sunday.
Gweru councillor, Doubt Ncube (ward 3) was spotted running
away with the data forms for the women’s assembly which captured names of those
that were eligible to vote, thereby delaying the process by almost three hours.
The councillor allegedly backed by a member of the national
executive, claimed the list had been doctored.
In Zvishavane-Ngezi, the voting process was also disrupted
after some officials tried to force the district congress to be moved from the
designated venue to the house of Senator Lilian Timveous who is understood to
be eyeing the post of party deputy president.
In Shurugwi North, there were reports of vote-buying
sponsored by a candidate wishing to contest at the provincial congress.
“When we had reached the stage of nominating candidates for
the provincial chairman, the presiding officer asked people to raise their
hands to show their choices of a person they wished to nominate. When he
mentioned the name of one of the candidates and people who supported the guy
raised their hands, the process was briefly stopped and all those who had
raised their hands were asked to leave the building. When the process resumed
and the same name was called out so that people who supported the candidate
could raise their hands again, nobody did amid claims that they had been bought
not to vote for the candidate,” said a source alleging vote-buying.
In Shurugwi South, the 2018 MDC Alliance losing
parliamentary candidate Osherd Mutunami caused a storm when he tried to stop
the elections saying people from ward 4, where he comes from, had not attended
in their numbers, raising the ire of those present.
The situation degenerated into violence and peace was only
restored after businessman Daniel Mabonga intervened. Mutunami sought refuge in
the businessman’s vehicle after youths bayed for his blood accusing him of
trying to divide the district by lobbying for his loyalists to occupy
positions.
In Vungu district, sources said people bussed from outside
the area voted for the district executive, side-lining locals.
Various wards in Mkoba, Chiwundura and Gweru urban
districts submitted petitions to the party provincial office, but no hearings
were done within the stipulated four days outlined in the template and the
provincial executive allowed district congresses to be held before solving
disputes on the lower structures.
In Lalapansi, there was chaos again as people not known in
the structures were bussed in to vote for members known to be inactive in the
party, thereby causing chaos during the event.
MDC Midlands South spokesperson Munyaradzi Mutandavari said
the process went on well and that the party leadership would resolve disputed
areas.
“The process went on well and since there were elections
involved there were bound to be some aggrieved persons. We are going to sit
down and review the process as a whole and if we see that there were areas in
which things did not go on well, we will seek to resolve the disputes fairly
and amicably,” he said.
In Beitbridge district, an MDC security official allegedly
tasered a delegate identified as Mafios Macheka under unclear circumstances.
Beitbridge MDC chairperson Elliot Maveza, who was retained
at the elective congress, yesterday said Macheka was a known problem and was
“where he was not supposed to be”.
“Whoever told you that should have said everything, Macheka
is a known problem. He was at a place he was not supposed to be and was
escorted out of the stadium by police and our security,” Maveza said without
denying that there had been violence.
A report is, however, said to have been made to police.
Convener of the elections, Nomathemba Ndlovu, who is a
provincial member from Gwanda, said during elections those defeated came up
with all sorts of allegations of irregularities.
“It’s natural that when one has been defeated, they come up
with issues. I did not see any violence, but you may ask the district members,”
Ndlovu said. Newsday
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