Chamisa visits turmoil-riddled MDC-Alliance Bulawayo province

MDC Alliance president, Mr Nelson Chamisa, visits Bulawayo this weekend amid turmoil in his party which faces rejection by Bulawayo residents over recent attempts by the party's councillors to suspend Town Clerk, Mr Christopher Dube.  

Mr Chamisa, who is scheduled to address a rally in Lupane tomorrow ahead of the Lupane East by elections set for 3 August, will meet Bulawayo structures either today or on Sunday.

MDC Alliance Bulawayo provincial spokesperson Mr Swithern Chirowodza said his boss would hold a meeting with Bulawayo structures on Sunday.

"The meeting is about ordinary house keeping issues and the by election in Lupane just to get updates from the ground on what is happening," he said.

Mr Chirowodza said Mr Chamisa would not address the issue of attempts by councillors to suspend the Town Clerk as he was waiting for a security report on the matter.  Sources within MDC-Alliance said it was less likely that Mr Chamisa would address the behaviour of his councillors as they belonged to his preferred faction.  

"You have to understand that the Bulawayo provincial party structures are already divided along tribal lines and Chamisa has aligned himself to the faction that wanted to suspend the Town Clerk so nothing will happen to those councillors," said a source.

Bulawayo residents last week called on the Government to dissolve council and appoint a commission to run the local authority's affairs due to alleged corruption and maladministration by the city fathers.

The call followed the chaos that rocked the council after Deputy Mayor, Councillor Tinashe Kambarami, working closely with Ward Four  councillor, Silas Chigora, violently removed the Town Clerk Mr Christopher Dube from office on July 11.

The differences between the Town Clerk and some councillors allegedly started after he resisted their moves to interfere with council management operations.

The councillors are said to be angry that the Town Clerk has refused to involve them in the distribution of the $5 million ward retention fund as well as the allocation of stands and premises.

The city's Mayor, Clr Solomon Mguni, reinstated Mr Dube back to office on the following day and on Monday council ratified the decision during a special full council meeting.

In the face of rejection by Bulawayo residents, Mr Chamisa's deputy, Professor Welshman Ncube, in a series of tweets, bemoaned calls for the setting up of a commission to run the affairs of  Bulawayo saying the move will punish the MDC Alliance.

He claimed that by lobbying for a commission to run the local authority's affairs, residents would be neglecting democratic practices.  

"After all the Mayor, His Worship Solomon Mguni, had already started the corrective process both on procedural and substantive issues. In the circumstances, it is a grave mistake to clamour for a negation of the democratic will of the people of Bulawayo as expressed by them only a year ago," said Prof Ncube.

However, fellow Twitter users disagreed with Prof Ncube and accused his party of taking people for granted.

Ntate Mdluli said: "That's what you get for causing chaos and taking Bulawayo citizens for granted. They are tired of your party's imposition and childish deliriums."

Another user Pedro Z also countered: "You have been quiet as MDC leaders while a fire was raging. You were not bothered."

Austin Sibya wa Gumbenyati said: "Your political deck is crumbling period. Don't try to focus on July Moyo. Focus on poor leadership style within the MDC-A."