News / Local
Thokozani Khupe under fire
25 Sep 2014 at 01:56hrs | Views
MDC-T vice-president Thokozani Khupe and the party's acting Bulawayo
provincial chairperson Dorcas Sibanda have been accused of unleashing
violence in the bid to illegitimately impose city's deputy mayor Gift
Banda as substantive provincial chair.
According to the MDC-T, one has to have served the party for five years to be eligible to contest for a senior position, a requirement Banda falls short of.
A senior MDC-T official yesterday accused Khupe and Sibanda of collapsing party structures in the wards so that they could impose Banda," Bulawayo daily, Southern Eye reported today.
Banda who reportedly appeared in the run-up to the July 2013 elections is accused of being "umafikizolo" in the party.
However, reports state that Khupe and Sibanda have adopted violent means to impose Banda and several other aspiring candidates at all levels in a bid to consolidate their positions in leadership.
However, Sibanda rubbished the claims as unfounded saying it was hogwash to talk about imposition of candidates even before the provincial congress was held.
"For people to involve Khupe in the imposition of provincial leadership or congress is misplaced," she said.
"Even to talk about me imposing candidates in Ward 13 is misplaced. I do not know candidates in Ward 13.
"How can they talk about the imposition of candidates when we have not even had any elections? We will conduct the elections in Bulawayo on October 4.
"People will do what they want. I do not have the power to impose leaders.
"Even if I had the money, could I buy all the people to vote for the candidates I want?
"It is not possible. If I had the money I would use it to support my children than to do that."
According to the MDC-T, one has to have served the party for five years to be eligible to contest for a senior position, a requirement Banda falls short of.
A senior MDC-T official yesterday accused Khupe and Sibanda of collapsing party structures in the wards so that they could impose Banda," Bulawayo daily, Southern Eye reported today.
Banda who reportedly appeared in the run-up to the July 2013 elections is accused of being "umafikizolo" in the party.
However, reports state that Khupe and Sibanda have adopted violent means to impose Banda and several other aspiring candidates at all levels in a bid to consolidate their positions in leadership.
However, Sibanda rubbished the claims as unfounded saying it was hogwash to talk about imposition of candidates even before the provincial congress was held.
"For people to involve Khupe in the imposition of provincial leadership or congress is misplaced," she said.
"Even to talk about me imposing candidates in Ward 13 is misplaced. I do not know candidates in Ward 13.
"How can they talk about the imposition of candidates when we have not even had any elections? We will conduct the elections in Bulawayo on October 4.
"People will do what they want. I do not have the power to impose leaders.
"Even if I had the money, could I buy all the people to vote for the candidates I want?
"It is not possible. If I had the money I would use it to support my children than to do that."
Source - Southern Eye
