News / Local
MDC-T MP bashed by party members
26 Jan 2013 at 21:22hrs | Views
THERE was pandemonium during a recent MDC-T Makokoba district ward election and gap filling exercise which saw Pumula constituency Member of the House of Assembly, Mr Albert Mhlanga, who is also the provincial organising secretary, being thoroughly beaten during the commotion by party members purportedly aligned to Mzilikazi Senator Matson Hlalo.
Senator Hlalo, who is said to have witnessed the fight, is said to have turned a blind eye.
According to witnesses, in the turmoil which is said to have gone on for over 15 minutes, Mr Mhlanga was clobbered for insisting on going ahead with the elections by Ward 8 Councillor Mackenzie Sibanda, who is believed to be a close ally of Senator Hlalo.
Mr Mhlanga had been seconded by the provincial executive to conduct the elections.
Senator Hlalo is engaged in a bitter struggle for the control of the district with Deputy Prime Minister Thokozani Khupe, with their supporters clashing on numerous occasions.
"During the scuffle, Clr Sibanda and party youth physically assaulted Mr Mhlanga accusing him of being part of the DPM Khupe faction, which resulted in the former making a police report.
"The party's deputy national organising secretary, Mr Abednico Bhebhe, was called to intervene in the clashes. He personally video-interviewed Mr Mhlanga and some of those who had been manhandled by Senator Hlalo's supporters,'' said the witness.
National police spokesperson Superintendent Andrew Phiri confirmed the attack and said the police were still conducting investigations on the matter.
These allegations are further corroborated by a suspension letter served on Clr Sibanda from the district chairperson Clr James Sithole, for his role in the violence.
The suspension is with immediate effect pending disciplinary hearing.
"Through the powers vested in me in the party constitution, Section 3.5.3, I hereby suspend you from your elected positions as councillor and also as a member of the district with immediate effect pending disciplinary hearing.
"Your suspension has been necessitated by your unbecoming behaviour on Saturday, 19 January 2013 at Macdonald Hall during Ward 8 main wing elections and gap filling, where you physically and verbally assaulted the provincial organising secretary thus violating Annexure C2.1(n), (r); (5) and Section 3 (c) s (f),'' reads the letter of suspension.
When contacted for comment, Clr Sibanda became aggressive and told this reporter to leave him alone.
"What do you want from me? Just leave me alone, I am not talking to you people,'' he said before hanging up his mobile phone.
Meanwhile, Senator Hlalo also faces disciplinary action from the party after the weekend violence with the Makokoba district leadership penning an official letter of complaint on the senator's conduct during the violence.
According to a party memorandum dated 21 January 2013 that was sent to the party's provincial secretary, Mr Reggie Moyo, and copied to the provincial chairperson, Mr Gorden Moyo, and Mr Mhlanga, Senator Hlalo is singled out as being behind the violence.
The memorandum was written by the Makokoba district secretary only identified as Mr C Nyatsanga.
Senator Hlalo is said to have initiated the violence upon realising that the elections would not go in his favour as most people present were aligned to DPM Khupe's faction.
"When elections had just started with the position of the vice chairperson declared vacant and nominations invited, Shadreck Maseko (Senator Hlalo's supporter) tried to bar nominee, Boniface Mudzamiri, from contesting citing that he was from Zanu-PF.
"Honourable Mhlanga (who) was conducting the elections asked supporters of the two nominees to queue behind their preferred candidate. Senator Hlalo upon realising that the majority were queuing behind Boniface Mudzamiri, asked the other members of the organising team, Ronnia Mudara, Kwanele, Ernie Nyathi, Ruth Mbedzi to leave the hall,'' reads part of the memorandum.
Mr Nyatsanga further alleges that despite Senator Hlalo's walking out of the election, Mr Mhlanga went ahead with the elections.
"Senator Hlalo ordered the hired youth milling outside to enter the hall and force Honourable Mhlanga to abort the election, during the altercation Clr Mackenzie Sibanda hit Hon Mhlanga with a fist while others were holding him forcefully by his jacket, the district members stepped in and prevented Hon Mhlanga from further assault.
"We as a district are very disappointed by the elected officials and we don't condone violence, we are going to discipline all those us whose unbecoming behaviour demeaned the person of Hon Mhlanga and threatened the stability of our district," reads the memorandum.
Party regulations stipulate that the district chairperson has the power of suspending any district member who does not hold any position in the provincial or national executive; Senator Hlalo is the provincial secretary of local government thus can either be disciplined by the provincial or the national executive.
Contacted for comment the party's deputy national organising secretary, Mr Bhebhe, said those behind the violence would be dealt with accordingly.
"What you must realise is that we are now approaching our primaries and such clashes are normal but the people who caused this violence will definitely face disciplinary action. You should really expect that we will get to the bottom of this issue," said Mr Bhebhe.
Efforts to get a comment from Senator Hlalo were fruitless as his mobile phone was not reachable while provincial spokesperson Mr Sibanda's phone went unanswered.
Last year 1 233 MDC-T members from Makokoba district signed a petition to have Senator Hlalo expelled from the party for being behind the defections that hit the party, after 354 of its members defected to the Professor Welshman Ncube-led MDC formation citing ill-treatment from the party leadership. The majority of these defectors were drawn from Makokoba district.
Senator Hlalo, who is said to have witnessed the fight, is said to have turned a blind eye.
According to witnesses, in the turmoil which is said to have gone on for over 15 minutes, Mr Mhlanga was clobbered for insisting on going ahead with the elections by Ward 8 Councillor Mackenzie Sibanda, who is believed to be a close ally of Senator Hlalo.
Mr Mhlanga had been seconded by the provincial executive to conduct the elections.
Senator Hlalo is engaged in a bitter struggle for the control of the district with Deputy Prime Minister Thokozani Khupe, with their supporters clashing on numerous occasions.
"During the scuffle, Clr Sibanda and party youth physically assaulted Mr Mhlanga accusing him of being part of the DPM Khupe faction, which resulted in the former making a police report.
"The party's deputy national organising secretary, Mr Abednico Bhebhe, was called to intervene in the clashes. He personally video-interviewed Mr Mhlanga and some of those who had been manhandled by Senator Hlalo's supporters,'' said the witness.
National police spokesperson Superintendent Andrew Phiri confirmed the attack and said the police were still conducting investigations on the matter.
These allegations are further corroborated by a suspension letter served on Clr Sibanda from the district chairperson Clr James Sithole, for his role in the violence.
The suspension is with immediate effect pending disciplinary hearing.
"Through the powers vested in me in the party constitution, Section 3.5.3, I hereby suspend you from your elected positions as councillor and also as a member of the district with immediate effect pending disciplinary hearing.
"Your suspension has been necessitated by your unbecoming behaviour on Saturday, 19 January 2013 at Macdonald Hall during Ward 8 main wing elections and gap filling, where you physically and verbally assaulted the provincial organising secretary thus violating Annexure C2.1(n), (r); (5) and Section 3 (c) s (f),'' reads the letter of suspension.
When contacted for comment, Clr Sibanda became aggressive and told this reporter to leave him alone.
"What do you want from me? Just leave me alone, I am not talking to you people,'' he said before hanging up his mobile phone.
According to a party memorandum dated 21 January 2013 that was sent to the party's provincial secretary, Mr Reggie Moyo, and copied to the provincial chairperson, Mr Gorden Moyo, and Mr Mhlanga, Senator Hlalo is singled out as being behind the violence.
The memorandum was written by the Makokoba district secretary only identified as Mr C Nyatsanga.
Senator Hlalo is said to have initiated the violence upon realising that the elections would not go in his favour as most people present were aligned to DPM Khupe's faction.
"When elections had just started with the position of the vice chairperson declared vacant and nominations invited, Shadreck Maseko (Senator Hlalo's supporter) tried to bar nominee, Boniface Mudzamiri, from contesting citing that he was from Zanu-PF.
"Honourable Mhlanga (who) was conducting the elections asked supporters of the two nominees to queue behind their preferred candidate. Senator Hlalo upon realising that the majority were queuing behind Boniface Mudzamiri, asked the other members of the organising team, Ronnia Mudara, Kwanele, Ernie Nyathi, Ruth Mbedzi to leave the hall,'' reads part of the memorandum.
Mr Nyatsanga further alleges that despite Senator Hlalo's walking out of the election, Mr Mhlanga went ahead with the elections.
"Senator Hlalo ordered the hired youth milling outside to enter the hall and force Honourable Mhlanga to abort the election, during the altercation Clr Mackenzie Sibanda hit Hon Mhlanga with a fist while others were holding him forcefully by his jacket, the district members stepped in and prevented Hon Mhlanga from further assault.
"We as a district are very disappointed by the elected officials and we don't condone violence, we are going to discipline all those us whose unbecoming behaviour demeaned the person of Hon Mhlanga and threatened the stability of our district," reads the memorandum.
Party regulations stipulate that the district chairperson has the power of suspending any district member who does not hold any position in the provincial or national executive; Senator Hlalo is the provincial secretary of local government thus can either be disciplined by the provincial or the national executive.
Contacted for comment the party's deputy national organising secretary, Mr Bhebhe, said those behind the violence would be dealt with accordingly.
"What you must realise is that we are now approaching our primaries and such clashes are normal but the people who caused this violence will definitely face disciplinary action. You should really expect that we will get to the bottom of this issue," said Mr Bhebhe.
Efforts to get a comment from Senator Hlalo were fruitless as his mobile phone was not reachable while provincial spokesperson Mr Sibanda's phone went unanswered.
Last year 1 233 MDC-T members from Makokoba district signed a petition to have Senator Hlalo expelled from the party for being behind the defections that hit the party, after 354 of its members defected to the Professor Welshman Ncube-led MDC formation citing ill-treatment from the party leadership. The majority of these defectors were drawn from Makokoba district.
Source - SN
