ASPIRING People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Bulawayo South parliamentary candidate, Clayton Jones, has described the city’s sitting Zanu PF and MDC-T legislators as useless, citing their failure to effectively lobby for the resuscitation of local industries.
By NQOBANI NDLOVU
Jones belongs to a faction of the PDP led by Lucia Matibenga, which is affiliated to Joice Mujuru’s People’s Rainbow Coalition (PRC).
“Bulawayo deserves better MPs. In my opinion, they have done virtually nothing to uplift the city. The situation is still the same, industry remains closed, roads are in a poor state, the situation at our hospitals is sad, yet we have MP’s who have the platform and all the channels to lobby for investment for Bulawayo,” Jones said in one of his door-to-door meetings with Sizinda high density suburb residents on Saturday.
But MDC-T spokesperson, Felix Magalela Sibanda dismissed Jones’ claims as cheap political talk, before describing Matibenga’s faction of the PDP as an enemy of Zimbabweans.
“We are to be judged by the residents, not individuals from certain political parties. They (PDP) are competing for recognition and will say anything to try and win the votes. However, it is our view that anyone who castigates the opposition is a renegade and enemy of the people, as we believe all progressive Zimbabweans must unite to fight Zanu PF.
“Our target is to remove Zanu PF and the PDP must be preaching unity to remove Zanu PF in its entirety not majoring on our MP’s,” Sibanda said.
Mpopoma-Pelandaba constituency MP, Joseph Tshuma (Zanu PF) also laughed off Jones’ remarks, saying the current crop of Zanu PF MP’s from Bulawayo was the best.
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“Are they (PDP) not aware that things are shaping up? National Railways of Zimbabwe wagons are on their way to Bulawayo, the Cold Storage Commission is about to open, the Mpilo cancer unit which was closed for years is now open. There are many other examples and this is all because of our lobby efforts as Zanu PF MPs,” Tshuma said.
Tshuma is one of the five Zanu PF members who were elected legislators in the 2015 by-elections.
Zanu PF had not won a single seat in Bulawayo since the formation of the opposition MDC in 1999.
