MDC-T councillors want to boycott official duty in Mutare

By Takudzwa Mudzimikunze

MUTARE – Town Clerk Obert Muzawazi is facing a mammoth task to control the city council amid revelations that some MDC-T councillors want to boycott official duty. 

An insider at civic center said the stand off is emanating from the mayoral debacle, where four MDC T councilors are alleged to have been bribed to vote for a Zanu PF deputy mayor.

The inside source said the elections failed to be conclusive as MDC T councillors boycotted the election of the vice chairs of the committees forcing the Mayor Tatenda Nhemarare to adjourn the proceedings.

“The election of chairpersons took place without any incident until the issue of vice chairs came in that is when tempers flared and some MDC T councilors did not want to participate in the election and were not nominating anyone,” said the insider.

The source also revealed that Town Clerk Obert Muzawazi tried to cool the flaring tempers during the elections. The disturbances were prompted by allegations of management bias in the process and he is said to have vowed to be professional.

“The town clerk even tried to cool tempers when things started getting out of hand saying that he was not siding with anyone but the councilors would hear none of it and they were obviously tired of the ongoing machinations by some members of their party,” said the insider.

The committee elections were held in secret on the 22nd of October, and journalists and the public were barred from the volatile meeting. MDC T councilors are said to have been irked by the voting pattern which was identically split 9 to 10 in favor of Zanu PF which now heads three of the seven committees.

“The MDC T councillors were angered by the voting pattern where some of their members continued to vote for Zanu PF and this is similar to what happened during the mayoral elections,” said the source.