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(HERALD) Morale rock-bottom in MDC-T Masvingo

Morale rock-bottom in MDC-T Masvingo
Friday, 06 May 2011 22:17
Masvingo Bureau

MORALE in the MDC-T Masvingo province has reached rock-bottom over alleged marginalisation at the just-ended national congress held in Bulawayo last week.
Senior party members from the province all failed to win posts in the national executive.

The province's sole candidate Mr Tongai Matutu lost the race to become party spokesperson to Mr Douglas Mwonzora. Ms Lucia Matibenga from the same province lost the national chairperson post to the incumbent Mr Lovemore Moyo.

Party members from Masvingo said the elections were more of appointments than proper polls. However, MDC-T Masvingo provincial spokesperson Mr Harrison Mudzuri dismissed the allegations. But party members said the election did not favour any of their candidates.

"Of course it was an election which warranted one a place in the standing committee but the party leadership should have played its cards right by making sure all the provinces were equally represented.

"It's disappointing that a province like Manicaland won four positions in the standing committee and there was nothing for Masvingo, we feel really marginalised," a provincial executive member said.

Another executive member said Masvingo was supposed to be "rewarded" for wrestling some seats from Zanu-PF in 2008.

"We deserved recognition for the way we manage to win parliamentary control from Zanu PF.

"We feel being unfairly treated and overlooked and that must be corrected," he said.

"We feel its a calculated move to marginalise us because even Tsvangirai himself had the guts to appoint Lucia Matibenga for the Masvingo governorship post as if there are no senior party members in the province.

"Of course the appointments did not materialise but the intentions were very clear and Matutu was appointed deputy minister after second thoughts and to us that is a cause of concern."

Mr Mudzuri however, said the right to get into the standing committee was earned and not given for free.

"National leadership posts and positions are not distributed to people like groundnuts.

"People wishing to get the positions must seek the mandate of the people.
"The outcome of the just-ended congress merely reflects the wishes of the people, nothing more nothing less.

"People talking about marginalisation forget that to get into the party's standing committee you have to be voted for not appointed," he said.

Labels: MASVINGO, MDC

posted by MrK @ 3:15 PM