News / Local
MDC-T Bulawayo Chairperson suspended from the party
10 Mar 2015 at 10:25hrs | Views
MDC-T Bulawayo Provincial Acting Chairperson Dorcas Sibanda has allegedly been suspended from the party for forming parallel structures in province, causing confusion and spreading hatred among party members.
Sibanda has been in the centre of a storm when some time in February, she stormed a provincial executive meeting and allegedly demanded to know why Bulawayo province had not elected her as interim chairperson when incumbent Gift Banda was forced to step down.
The province elected Nomvula Mguni instead.
Sibanda was allegedly accompanied by about 20 members of the MDC-T Veteran Activist Association members who were stopped by security but they started fighting.
In an interview with Radio Dialogue, MDC-T Bulawayo's spokesperson, Mandla Sibanda, confirmed Dorcas was suspended last Friday for creating parallel structures within the province that were damaging the party's operations.
"Dorcas has been suspended with immediate effect by the provincial decision makers. Her actions were seen as a threat to the party's structures in the province and hence suspending her was the best decision," said the spokesperson.
When contacted for comment, Sibanda said the province had no power to suspend her.
"They are dreaming who has the capacity to suspend me? Do you wake up the next day with a capacity to suspend senior people? I am senior than the people who claim to have suspended me," she said.
Sibanda said as far as she was concerned she was still the party's provincial acting chairperson.
"I am still the Bulawayo provincial acting chairperson until whatever they claim (the problem) is taken to national level,"she said.
Confusion and infighting within parties continues to engulf local politics as MDC-T is involved in a legal battle over the legitimacy of the 21 legislators who deserted the party for MDC Renewal, now part of United Movement for Democratic Change.
MDC-T Secretary General, Douglas Mwonzora, wrote to Parliament seeking to recall the MPs arguing they no longer belonged to the party.
However, Secretary General of MDC Renewal Tendai Biti, part of the 21, said MDC-T had no locus standi to recall them from Parliament because its leader Morgan Tsvangirai was legally expelled from MDC T together with other members of his leadership.
Sibanda has been in the centre of a storm when some time in February, she stormed a provincial executive meeting and allegedly demanded to know why Bulawayo province had not elected her as interim chairperson when incumbent Gift Banda was forced to step down.
The province elected Nomvula Mguni instead.
Sibanda was allegedly accompanied by about 20 members of the MDC-T Veteran Activist Association members who were stopped by security but they started fighting.
In an interview with Radio Dialogue, MDC-T Bulawayo's spokesperson, Mandla Sibanda, confirmed Dorcas was suspended last Friday for creating parallel structures within the province that were damaging the party's operations.
"Dorcas has been suspended with immediate effect by the provincial decision makers. Her actions were seen as a threat to the party's structures in the province and hence suspending her was the best decision," said the spokesperson.
When contacted for comment, Sibanda said the province had no power to suspend her.
Sibanda said as far as she was concerned she was still the party's provincial acting chairperson.
"I am still the Bulawayo provincial acting chairperson until whatever they claim (the problem) is taken to national level,"she said.
Confusion and infighting within parties continues to engulf local politics as MDC-T is involved in a legal battle over the legitimacy of the 21 legislators who deserted the party for MDC Renewal, now part of United Movement for Democratic Change.
MDC-T Secretary General, Douglas Mwonzora, wrote to Parliament seeking to recall the MPs arguing they no longer belonged to the party.
However, Secretary General of MDC Renewal Tendai Biti, part of the 21, said MDC-T had no locus standi to recall them from Parliament because its leader Morgan Tsvangirai was legally expelled from MDC T together with other members of his leadership.
Source - Radio Dialogue
