The scene is now set for close contests in nine of the 12 MDC provincial elections, set for this weekend ahead of the partys national congress to be held in Bulawayo at the end of the month.
Three provincial structures, namely Harare, Chitungwiza and Mashonaland West, have already held elections and the fight for control of the remaining provincial structures has hit full throttle as rival camps slug it out to ensure victory for their candidates.
The biggest battle is set for Bulawayo, where Parastatals and Enterprises Minister Gorden Moyo is to contest against Mzilikazi Senator, Mattson Hlalo. Who ever wins will replace the incumbent Agnes Mloi, who is not standing.
Tension between the two rival camps is rising, manifesting itself in everything from a public war of words to near fist fights. Our Bulawayo correspondent Lionel Saungweme told us the scene is set for a close contest between Moyo and Hlalo because of the influence the post has in MDC-T circles.
The Bulawayo vote is crucial in that the province controls both Matebeleland North and South provinces in as far as directing party activities. More crucially the three provinces, under the direction of the Bulawayo chairman, historically combine to choose a candidate to contest the post of vice-president of the party, Saungweme said. Saungweme said the loser from the contest would have to be magnanimous, because anything else will trigger mayhem as the province is teetering on the brink of a split along tribal tendencies.
The fight to control Bulawayo has brought into the open differences that are not political but along tribal lines, like who comes from which area in the southern region of Zimbabwe. The two contestants will have to work towards uniting the province regardless of who comes out victorious, Saungweme said. Apart from Bulawayo and the two Matebeleland provinces, elections will also be held in Mashonaland central and East, Manicaland, Midlands North and South and Masvingo.
Post published in: News