MDC Election aspirant withdraw

                                                      

                                              By a Tichaona Mugoni

Gweru...Some members of the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) Morgan Tsvangirai-led faction in the Midlands South Province, who had registered as candidates for the forthcoming harmonized elections, in defiance of party orders, have withdrawn their candidacy.

Gweru deputy mayor Obert Ncube, who is the province's elections director, and head of one of the factions–popularly referred to as veku Masowe- told journalists at a press conference that one of the prospective house of assembly candidates and three council candidates had withdrawn their candidacy.

Ncube revealed that Tsvangirai met candidates approved by his formation's national executive in Gweru on Tuesday, adding that the rebels, some of whom also attended the meeting, had been given until today to withdraw their candidacy or face expulsion from the party.

 

Tsvangirai did not meet ordinary party members during his visit. His meeting with the candidates approved by the head office quashed hopes by some party backers that he would resolve the divisions in the province.

 

Sources told Zimeye, Tsvangirai avoided meeting ordinary party members because some members of the other faction-popularly known as Jatropha- led by provincial secretary Patrick Kombayi, had threatened violence against Tsvangirai.

 

Kombayi is reported to have initially stayed away from the meeting that Tsvangirai held but later attended.

 

At the press briefing, Ncube however, said the intra-faction division had never been part of Tsvangirai's agenda adding that there was nothing to resolve, as everything was "clear."

 

He said in the run-up to the nomination court sitting, the province had held primary elections under the supervision of national executive members and that those who won were the ones endorsed by the national executive.

 

Ncube denied claims by the Kombayi division that those who filed nomination papers separately had won party primaries but had been sidelined by his division.

 

Asked what the root cause of the division is, Ncube said it stems from the fact that he does not approve of some provincial executive members'  "abuse of party youths by buying them alcohol to advance personal agendas."

 

Kombayi refused to speak to Zimeye saying the issue of divisions is "domestic" and would be resolved internally without need to involve the press.