Maravi

(NEWZIMBABWE) MDC suspends MP over violence

MDC suspends MP over violence
by
08/12/2009 00:00:00

PRIME Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) party says it has suspended an MP for inciting violence, and banned two other officials for corruption. Zengeza East MP Alexio Musundire will be prevented from holding any position in the party for two years, but remains MP, MDC spokesman Nelson Chamisa said.

The former MDC mayor of Chitungwiza Israel Marange, and a former councillor, Rangarirai Mutingwende, had their membership suspended for five years following corruption allegations.

The two were accused of allocating stands to party supporters in exchange for money. Marange was jailed for a year in August after a court convicted him of accepting a $1,000 bribe to corruptly-allocate a stand to an aide.

The MDC’s national executive also suspended its entire Chitungwiza provincial executive “to ascertain the complicity and role of the province in all the shenanigans in council,” Chamisa said on Monday.

"We have made decisions as a party after we were concerned about endemic corruption in general as well as mischief and misconduct in the handling of council affairs in Chitungwiza," he said.

Chamisa did not release details of the allegations against Musundire, but the action taken by the party will embolden its critics who say it harbours violet elements -- one of the reasons cited for the October 2005 MDC split.

In 2001, the MDC's former St Mary's MP Job Sikhala fingered Musundire as one of the men who led a violent attack on his home in the constituency.

Reacting to Sikhala's claims, Tsvangirai said at the time: "When children are playing, it is natural for them to sometimes fight, but you do not make a big issue out of it. You must expect children to fight. If you don’t expect them to do so, then you are not human."

Labels: ALEXIO MUSUNDIRE, CHITUNGWIZA ISRAEL MARANGE, JOB SIKHALA, MDC CORRUPTION, MDC VIOLENCE, RANGARIRAI MUTINGWENDE

posted by MrK @ 8:14 AM