Tsvangirai 'marks' MDC-T MPs' performance

The 70 MDC parliamentarians, both in the National Assembly and Senate, as well as councillors and mayors, will tomorrow come under the spotlight as party leader Morgan Tsvangirai evaluates their performance since the 2013 poll.

Tsvangirai is also meeting with the party's Harare provincial structures when they hold their consultative forum for this year.

While Tsvangirai's spokesperson Luke Tamborinyoka was not immediately available to confirm the exercise, MDC provincial youth secretary Denford Ngadziore told the Daily News yesterday that  he had since invited all youth assembly structures to attend  the meeting where Tsvangirai will be guest of honour.

"We hold the provincial consultative forum once every year to, among other things, review the operative effectiveness of MPs as well as receive reports from all elected office bearers and employees, mayors and chairpersons of councils on their duties," Ngadziore said.

Insiders said the exercise will also be used to name and shame ineffective office bearers, particularly MPs and councillors, ahead of the party's primary elections scheduled for early next year ahead of the much anticipated 2018 elections.

"Those who will be deemed ineffective will certainly lose primary elections because by so pronouncing their failure in public, the president will have sent a message to the grassroots that they cannot be re-elected for public office and MDC supporters will listen," a provincial executive member said.

The development also comes as the MDC is under pressure from Local Government minister Saviour Kasukuwere who is currently on a warpath against the party's councillors countrywide accusing them of corruption.

"The party has to go beyond politicking and address the issue of corruption among councillors because the majority of them are now compromised and Zanu-PF has taken advantage of that.

"We have to make sure we deal with officials named in corrupt dealings to spruce up our image ahead of elections," another provincial member in the capital said.

Recently, Kasukuwere suspended five Bulawayo City councillors including deputy mayor Gift Banda on allegations of sleaze.

Last week, Kasukuwere re-suspended 11 MDC councillors in Gweru, including mayor Hamutendi Kombayi, who were set to resume their duties after the minister had withdrawn his appeal at the Supreme Court in Bulawayo, again over corruption charges.