THE MDC-T yesterday dismissed plans by Manicaland Provincial Affairs minister Mandi Chimene to rope in war veterans to act as shadow councillors at the opposition-led Mutare City Council, saying the plot was meant to subvert the people’s rights to elect a leadership of their choice.
STAFF REPORTER
The MDC-T in a statement, said: “The suggestion to set up such dubious structures merely confirms the fact that Zanu PF has no regard whatsoever for democracy and the people’s rights to elect their own leadership. While Zanu PF rigged the last election, it wants to further decimate the people’s choice by setting up a parallel structure comprising the so-called Manicaland Provincial Affairs minister Mandi Chimene and war veterans to do the work of council.”
This follows threats by Chimene last Sunday to set up a parallel council structure to keep the MDC-T councillors under check.
“The plan to depose an elected leadership is a brazen assault on democracy, constitutionalism and the rule of law. We in the MDC will not allow such arrant nonsense to take place in a city with an elected leadership. Any parallel structure would be patently illegal and unconstitutional and the MDC and the courts will not allow it.”
Meanwhile, MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai dismissed reports that he had stolen the idea of organising a national convergence conference to brainstorm over the country’s economic crisis.
He said although his party had initiated the idea, it still invited other like-minded democratic forces to contribute towards the project.
“The national convergence conference should be a truly national platform where Zimbabweans in their diversity discuss the crisis facing the people of Zimbabwe,” Tsvangirai’s spokesperson Luke Tamborinyoka said. “In fact, no single political party can successfully organise a national convergence conference. All that individual political parties and organisations can do is to endorse it, as the MDC has done through its president.”
