MDC-T 'lost big time', admits Bulawayo mayor

BULAWAYO mayor Martin Moyo says his MDC-T party "lost big time" during the July 31 elections and is now back in the drawing board.

Moyo made the admission in an opinion piece he penned exclusively for Southern Eye that would be published in full tomorrow.

It followed an open letter to him by prominent playwright Cont Mhlanga outlining the city's expectations from the new mayor.

"My own mayorship comes in the wake of the July 31 disaster," Moyo wrote.

"The MDC-T, to which I belong, lost big time and we are back to the drawing board."

MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai has refused to concede defeat, arguing Zanu PF manipulated results of the harmonised elections with the help of an Israeli company, Nikuv.

Moyo concurred with Mhlanga that Bulawayo was marginalised leading to collapse of industry.

He said those who feared the neglect would continue under an exclusively Zanu PF government were justified following President Robert Mugabe's statements that Harare and Bulawayo should go to MDC-T for service delivery not his government.

"There are grounds to suspect another disconnect," he said.

"The apprehension comes from the acerbic statements attributed to the State President when he said Bulawayo and Harare should not come to him when they have problems because they voted for the MDC-T.

"This must have been said in yet another moment of madness and I suppose.

"In hind sight, those in power must be embarrassed by it!

"Elections are about offering nationals of a country a democratic choice and they cannot be punished for making choices from their heart."

However, Moyo said he was prepared to work with Zanu PF's Eunice Sandi-Moyo who was appointed Provincial Affairs minister for Bulawayo by Mugabe after the polls.

"We do congratulate Eunice Sandi-Moyo on her appointment as the Minister of State for Bulawayo Metropolitan Provincial Affairs," he said.
"We are not privy to her brief, but as a daughter of Bulawayo herself, we share with her a common interest, a common destiny and I believe we have common aspirations for the city.

"Perhaps we can cultivate a mutually beneficial relationship with her and make her available as a link with the government in Harare.

"On our part, I pledge unreserved co-operation and support for her."

During the four-year inclusive government, MDC-T and Zanu PF were always at each other's throats to the detriment of government programmes.

But Moyo said for Bulawayo to move forward there would be need for closer co-operation with the ruling party.

The previous council led by Thaba Moyo also of MDC-T, had several running battles with Local Government minister Ignatius Chombo of Zanu PF.

Chombo has in the past been accused of interfering with the affairs of councils run by MDC-T, but despite previous councils ignoring his directives, the minister has never taken any disciplinary action against the Bulawayo City Council.