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NewsDay

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Gorden Moyo faction victory challenged

Politics
Disgruntled members of the MDC-T’s women and youth wings in Bulawayo Monday wrote to party secretary-general Tendai Biti urging him to disregard the results of the provincial elections held over the weekend claiming the polls were flawed. The party members claimed the presiding officer, Fidelis Mhashu, barred several eligible members from casting their ballot. Part […]

Disgruntled members of the MDC-T’s women and youth wings in Bulawayo Monday wrote to party secretary-general Tendai Biti urging him to disregard the results of the provincial elections held over the weekend claiming the polls were flawed.

The party members claimed the presiding officer, Fidelis Mhashu, barred several eligible members from casting their ballot.

Part of the letter reads: “The members of the oversight committee led by Honourable Fidelis Mhashu denied 60 members of the district the chance to exercise their right to choose their provincial members.

“In terms of the constitution of the party article 6.6.2 (b) provides that all members of the district executive committee shall attend the provincial women assembly and shall be eligible to vote.

“Contrary to this article, Hon Mhashu only allowed eight members out of 14 thereby denying six members per district. Bulawayo had 10 districts attending the provincial assembly meaning 60 members were disenfranchised,” the letter said in part.

The disgruntled members also claimed that contrary to the party’s constitutional provisions, 25 ward chairpersons were denied the right to participate in the elections.

As a result, they claimed, there was no quorum as only 103 people were accredited to participate in the elections instead of the required 210 members.

They said they raised these issues with the teams conducting the polls but their complaints fell on deaf ears and they were therefore asking the party’s standing committee to review the outcome of the polls.

The provincial spokesperson in the women’s wing, Dorothy Bhebhe, told NewsDay yesterday they wanted a rerun of the polls.

The faction led by Matson Hlalo wants a rerun of the elections, while the leader of the winning faction, Gorden Moyo, insists the outcome is final.

Contacted for comment yesterday, MDC T national spokesman Nelson Chamisa said he was not in a position to shed light on the matter. “We have not even received the report from the teams that were conducting elections there,” he said.

On April 13, the party’s deputy secretary-general, Tapiwa Mashakada, wrote to the provincial leadership in Bulawayo advising them that the national leadership had upheld the election of Moyo as new party chairman for the province.