The expelled MDC Midlands heavyweight laughed off the purported expulsion.
The MDC Midlands provincial executive said this week they “discharged” their Midlands secretary, Patrick Kombayi, who tried to lead a break-away MDC faction clashing with Gweru MDC mayor Sesel Zvidzayi, officials said. The two regional MDC heavyweights are said to be locked in combat by sponsoring rival candidates to stand on an MDC ticket in the same constituencies in the Midlands.
Kombayi, the first Gweru mayor after independence in 1980, who is set to contest as the MDC Senatorial candidate for Gweru Chirumanzu, is sponsoring a set of parliamentary and council candidates, which the sitting MDC mayor Zvidzai is refusing to endorse.
Two weeks ago, Zvidzayi fielded his own candidates on an MDC ticket, and Kombayi also duly nominated his set of candidates, also on an MDC ticket.
Elections secretary Ian Makone has ordered that all candidates who had fielded their nomination papers on an MDC ticket without the approval of head office withdraw their candidature by last Sunday.
Nine parliamentary candidates who refused to comply with the directive, including one senatorial candidate, and five councillors from Gweru Urban were automatically expelled by Monday.
The standoff has escalated with Midlands South MDC chairman Sicino Dube announcing that Kombayi has been discharged from the MDC provincial executive and relieved from official responsibilities. He said Kombayi had legal recourse to appeal to the national executive together with his “renegade” candidates.
A defiant Josiah Makombe, among the nine expelled parliamentary candidates loyal to Kombayi, who had fielded his papers in Gweru Urban, scoffed at his expulsion and addressed a rally at Ascot Shops together with Kombayi on Sunday. Makombe said according to the MDC Constitution, only congress can expel a member. Kombayi ridiculed his “expulsion” and said that decision had not yet been communicated to him.
Post published in: News