MDC-T primary elections move to Manicaland and Masvingo

By Tichaona Sibanda

MDC-T voters will on Sunday participate in the internal selection process to choose candidates bidding to represent the party in the next harmonized elections. 

The MDC-T has already conducted primaries in 10 out of its 12 political provinces, with the exercise in Masvingo and Manicaland this weekend bringing to an end the first phase of the process.

The second phase, expected to begin next week, will see primary elections being conducted in constituencies where sitting legislators where not confirmed in the first round of the poll.

So far MDC-T voters have posted a ruthless verdict on 30 of their 97 Members of Parliament since the party primaries started a fortnight ago. Not even cabinet ministers have been spared the wrath of voters countrywide, who went to the ballot to choose their party representatives.

Masvingo and Manicaland provinces provide the largest chunk of legislators for the MDC-T. In the last harmonized election in 2008, the party won 20 seats in Manicaland while 14 were victorious in Masvingo.

While the majority of the MPs are confident of winning the primaries in what is expected to be a closely-contested exercise, some incumbents risk losing their bids to represent the party in the next election, to newcomers wanting to make their maiden appearance in parliament.

There are strong indications that more sitting MPs will fall by the wayside as the primaries reach their final stages.

Both provinces are not without their problems, with factional infighting at times attracting the attention of party leader Morgan Tsvangirai, who has on several occasions visited the provincial leaders to read them the riot act.

Against this backdrop, several MPs aligned to various factions could be casualties of this bitter fight for total control in the provinces. The biggest battles in Manicaland will see National Housing Minister Giles Mutsekwa pitted against human rights lawyer Arnold Tsunga, while the bruising contest between Pishai Muchauraya and journalist Geoff Nyarota will for once be fought outside the court room.

The rivalry between the two for the Makoni South parliamentary seat spilled into the courts after police charged Muchauraya in April with two counts of threats to ‘murder’ Nyarota.

Party activist Solomon Chikohwero said the trend has already been set in the primaries held so far were MPs who did not deliver have been shown the ‘exit door’ by their constituents.

‘We have seen a mixed reaction from the voters so far but I can assure you the same pattern will visit the two provinces were MPs who did not deliver in the last five years will not be confirmed,’ he said.

Chikohwero continued; ‘Whoever has worked hard in their constituency will survive, but those who did not will unfortunately lose.’ SW Radio Africa