By Lance Guma
[twitter-follow username=”lanceguma” scheme=”dark”]
Founding MDC-T member Grace Kwinjeh remains in limbo even after reported efforts by her party to end the dispute surrounding the Makoni Central primary election by offering her one of the six seats reserved for women in the Manicaland province.
Kwinjeh, currently exiled in Belgium, was leading the election until the vote counting was suspended due to darkness. A second round of voting saw her challenger Patrick Sagandira taking the lead and sparking protests of voting irregularities from Kwinjeh’s camp.
MDC-T spokesman Douglas Mwonzora told Nehanda Radio on Sunday that Kwinjeh had been offered one of the six seats under proportional representation in Manicaland but he did not know if she had accepted the offer.
Under the proportional representation system, 60 seats in parliament will be reserved for women, with six seats for each province.
In another interview with the Daily News newspaper, Mwonzora is quoted saying “We know that many women are quite capable in the MDC and they can be more than 60 so if anybody was left behind, that was not because of lack of qualities.”
Mwonzora told the paper that they had looked at Kwinjeh’s seniority in the party, consistency and personal attributes. But Kwinjeh’s name was not on the list of MDC-T candidates submitted to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) nomination court by Friday.
Other party officials who spoke to Nehanda Radio said Kwinjeh’s had put herself at a disadvantage by being in Belgium and not on the ground while the elections were taking place. She had instead relied on her campaign team on the ground while she finalised her plans to go back home from exile.
“Grace Kwinjeh did very well in the Makoni Central primary election for someone who was not on the ground but the unfortunate truth is that she lost those elections in the second round of voting,” another official told us.
Kwinjeh entered last Saturday’s poll with a healthy 182 votes and polled 50, to take her ballot tally to 222 votes. Sagandira, her challenger, was trailing her with 171 votes and polled 119 to take his vote tally to 280. Kwinjeh is however disputing this lead alleging vote irregularities.
Nehanda Radio caught up with Kwinjeh and below is her reaction:
Lance Guma: Did you accept the offer of one of the six seats reserved for women in Manicaland province?
Grace Kwinjeh: “I think that there are too many agenda’s at play. By Thursday night even members of the European Union had been informed of my ousting. Who is doing this? To what end? Then I am accused of belonging to factions, I stand with people on principle not personalities.”
Guma: We understand Tsvangirai tried to intervene to put an end to this fiasco?
Kwinjeh: “Yes the PM has been in touch, I know for certain he did not know most of what was going on. I also know that there are those targeting him through me. It is becoming clearer now. The leadership must stand together, they must communicate clearly to one another.”
“For instance they claim that I am working with Tendai Biti our SG. The last time I ever spoke to Tendai was over three years ago. It was an honour when he wrote on my wall some days ago. There is a spirit of confusion at play, we have to pray, rebuke it!!! Sanity must prevail for the sake of Zimbabweans.”
Guma: But what would be the idea behind factionalising you?
Kwinjeh: “Attempts to factionalise me are meant to re-package me, limit me and re-define me into a corner or space that I have not created, whose agenda I do not know. What I stand for is higher than any person’s political ambition, I believe it resonates with what Zimbabweans today are crying out for, leaders who care for their needs first, before obsession with power.”
Guma: So how is this issue going to be resolved?
Kwinjeh: “I can’t reveal anything about the nature of the discussions I am having with the leadership, but to say, truth shall prevail.
