MDC-T youths to contest party primary elections

AT LEAST 180 MDC-T youths have received the green light to contest party primaries alongside 1 200 other parliamentary aspirants from the main and women's wings to represent the party in the forthcoming harmonised elections, MDC-T national organising secretary Nelson Chamisa has said.

Chamisa said the party approved an overwhelming number of youths to participate in the internal vetting system to be held next week to prove that it was a party for the future.

He said more youths had also shown interest in contesting as councillors.

"We approved a huge number of youths because the MDC-T is young and dynamic and represents the fortunes of generations now and to come," Chamisa said.

Over 1 000 candidates were approved by the party's National Executive Council early this month.

There has been tension in the MDC-T with sitting candidates resisting challenges from the youths fearing an immediate end to their political careers.

A similar storm had been brewing in President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF, with the party's old guard reportedly resisting challenges from Young Turks.

Mugabe's party, experiencing serious factional fights over the race to succeed the ageing leader, is still to announce the rules for primary elections.

The Young Turks have viewed this as a delaying tactic by the bigwigs to shorten the campaign window before the party conducts its own internal elections.

MDC-T youth national spokesperson Clifford Hlatshwayo said the youths were happy that the party had recognised the role of the youths in the future of Zimbabwe by allowing them to participate in primaries.

"We are now gearing up for elections and we will be supporting youth candidates. That is the only way to go in order to achieve a generational mix in the country's leadership. This facilitates grooming of leaders so that the country will not have headaches over succession politics. This shows the party has a future.

"MDC-T is preparing for a serious Parliament with young, educated and dynamic youths, not for chanting slogans and rubber-stamping in Parliament, but making laws. We want credible candidates who can take developmental issues seriously. The country should build youths with positive participation in politics, not violence," Hlatshwayo, who is eyeing the Chipinge South seat, said.

Other MDC-T youths who have thrown their hats into the ring include national youth leader Solomon Madzore (Dzivaresekwa), lawyer Eriem Musaendeka and Allan Moyo (Gutu South and Masvingo Central) constituencies respectively, Earthrage Kureva (Chikomba) and Mukombwe Dube (Binga South).