The four councillors being accused of selling their votes are Tatenda Nhamarare (ward 8), Richard Mupfura (ward 16), Pamela Mutare (ward 2) and Farai Biza (ward 11)
At the mayoral elections held on Monday, Nhamarare (35) of MDC-T won the mayor’s post ahead of Thomas Nyamupanedengu (45) by one vote.
The MDC-T has 13 councillors while Zanu (PF) has six. Zanu (PF’s) Collin Mkwada won the deputy mayor’s post after he got 10 votes against MDC-T’s Kudakwashe Chisango’s nine votes.
The MDC-T provincial chairman Julius Magarangoma held a meeting at the party offices today accusing Nhamarare’s camp of joining with Zanu (PF’s) six councillors to make their number to 10 that went on to defeat the Nyamupanedengu camp.
“There are no two ways about that. The four MDC-T councillors went into an unholy alliance with Zanu (PF) councillors and they agreed that they would vote for Nhamarare as mayor and then Mkwada (Zanu PF) as Deputy Mayor. That is how it was planned,” said Magarangoma.
“This is a very serious issue that cannot be taken lightly. As an executive we have resolved that the four councillors be expelled from the party. We will send this recommendation to the national executive that will act on the matter,” he said.
The MDC-T Manicaland spokesperson Pishai Muchauraya said: “As the provincial executive, the four exhibited serious betrayal on the side of voters and the party as a whole. We cannot allow such things to happen.
Contacted for a comment Nhamarare said: “I do not comment on things that are on factional lines. This was a meeting called by a faction.”
The national MDC-T spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora said he was not aware of the meeting held in Mutare and added that the MDC-T was in the process of instituting investigations into what transpired in all the mayoral and rural district chairmen’s elections.
Post published in: News