Byo MDC-T councillors defect to Welshman's Ncube's MDC

SOME Bulawayo MDC-T councilors who were recently  unceremoniously fired from their positions as council committee chairpersons have reportedly defected to the MDC formation led by Welshman Ncube as they feel let down by their parent party.

According to The Southern Star newspaper, the six councilors are allegedly accusing the MDC led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai of constantly meddling and interfering in council business.

Sources within the MDC, the councilors had already approached the party's provincial structures with the hope of officially joining the party.

"I can tell you that talks are now at an advanced stage, a report is now going to be submitted to the national executive then the councilors will be officially unveiled to the public as members of the MDC.

"The main grievances they have put forward is that their party has been constantly frustrating them in their endeavor to carry out of their democratic duties, so as a party we are glad to welcome them back home because truth be told this is the MDC party," said the source.

MDC-T Bulawayo provincial organising secretary Albert Mhlanga said at the moment his party was not aware of any defections but if they were any the affected councilors should follow the necessary procedures.

"There are no councilors who have been dismissed by the party. I am also not aware of any defections. We have procedures in the party that are followed before anyone is dismissed. I have heard rumours that councilors are frustrated by the party's directive to rotate their chairpersonship of council committees but it is not true, we do not interfere with council issues.

"I was once the Deputy Mayor and I can tell you that we cannot victimise councilors for speaking their minds, people are just talking. As far as I am concerned, we still have all our councilors," said Mhlanga.

The six aggrieved councilors reportedly include Nduna Dladla, Phinias Ndlovu, Edward Ndlovu, Collet Ndlovu, Thembeni Khoza and Elmon Mpofu.

The councillors recently came under fire after they rebelled against a party caucus decision for the election of new council committee chairpersons and vowing that they would not allow the MDC-T to dictate what happens within the local authority but will strive to carry out their duties as they felt necessary.

MDC-T had resolved to discipline the councillors after reports that they threatened to defect to the MDC after they were stripped of their chairpersonship positions.

Last week the bulk of councillors boycotted a meeting that had been called by the MDC-T Bulawayo provincial administrative committee to try address the issue, a move that has been viewed as a clear sign of defiance.

Contacted for comment one of the affected councillors, Dladla said while he could not comment on the defection matter, as councilors they were now waiting for a scheduled meeting with the party's secretary for local governance, who is also Deputy Minister of Local Government, Rural and Urban Development Sesel Zvidzai.

"I am being told that we were fired but nothing official has been communicated to me, so as it stands we are now waiting for this meeting with Zvidzai maybe by next week we would be having something tangible," said Dladla.

Another councilor who refused to be named for fear of further victimisation said they had since realized that the party (MDC-T) was not doing them any good but had more of dictatorship qualities.

"These people go around criticising others of being dictators while they are the very people who exhibit dictatorship qualities, honestly we cannot be part of such a party," said the councilor.

The issue of the rotation of council committee chairpersons has been engulfed in controversy ever since the councillors resolved to adopt a new system where all chairpersons are rotated every August, with the incumbent chairpersons resisting the change arguing that it was a decision that was influenced by the MDC-T.