'VP Khupe will no longer stand in Makokoba' says Mwonzora

MDC-T spokesperson, Douglas Mwonzora has said the party's vice president Thokozani Khupe "will no longer stand in Makokoba."

Khupe's name was not among the list of sitting MPs seeking re-election. More than 1 200 candidates submitted their names for consideration to represent the MDC-T in the forthcoming elections.

Some 200 prospective candidates were disqualified amid reports that the MDC-T wanted to accommodate activists from its civil society allies.

Khupe's factional ally and Bulawayo provincial chairperson Gorden Moyo submitted his name to stand for Makokoba which was duly accepted by the party's national council that met on Wednesday.

Moyo has been in a tussle to control the province with Mzilikazi Senator Matson Hlalo.

The turf battle de-generated into fist-fights between the camps ahead of the party's congress in 2010.

Sources in the party said Ms Khupe abandoned her constituency and moved to Nkayi North constituency but received stiff resistance from party officials in the area.
Party spokesperson, Mr Douglas Mwonzora confirmed that Ms Khupe's name was not among the list of sitting legislators seeking re-election.

"VP Khupe will no longer stand in Makokoba. She is going to be among those 60 women reserved for the national assembly. We thought we should liberate the DPM because we want to prepare her to be the country's vice president," said Mwonzora.

MDC-T national chairperson and Speaker of the House of Assembly Lovemore Moyo would be seeking re-election in Matobo North constituency. It also emerged that the party's national council accepted three MPs expelled from the MDC and from Parliament by the Welshman Ncube-led formation. The trio are Abdenico Bhebhe (Nkayi South) Norman Mpofu (Lupane East), Njabuliso Mguni (Bulilima East).

"What this means is that they qualify to go for primary elections. The decision on whether they would represent the party would come from the people of those respective constituencies," said Mr Mwonzora.

The party's national council, said Mwonzora, had gone through several names that had expressed interest to represent the party.

"Some constituencies had as high as 10, others eight contestants. What is critical is that every person regardless of his rank in the party will be subjected either to a confirmation or primary elections," he said.

Some aspiring candidates have criticised the party's preferential treatment to sitting MPs as they would only be subjected to primary elections should they fail to pass the confirmation exercise. This, party supporters have said, was undemocratic as it would unfairly exclude people aspiring to contest in a constituency. Mwonzora said primary elections would start this month.