MDC-T plunges into fresh turmoil

MDC-T has been plunged into fresh turmoil here after it was rocked by serious allegations of imposition of candidates in the country's oldest town.

This has raised fears that it will fare badly in the coming harmonised elections owing to disgruntlement among its supporters.

Disgruntled party members in Masvingo Urban District have threatened not to vote for the imposed MDC-T candidates in Masvingo City's 10 wards in protest.

They allege the candidates were imposed by senior officials in the district at the behest of party provincial chair Mr James Gumbi.

Besides allegedly imposing candidates in the 10 wards, the provincial leadership also stands accused of sidelining former Masvingo Urban legislator Mr Tongai Matutu from contesting primary elections in the constituency that has since been given to party national executive member Mr Takanai Mureyi.

Sources in the party yesterday said all aspiring candidates aligned to Mr Matutu were purged and replaced by those loyal to Mr Mureyi, a situation that has allegedly paralysed party activities in Masvingo, ahead of the elections.

Mr Matutu dumped the MDC-T and joined the People's Democratic Party after the 2013 harmonised elections, where the late former leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai and his party were heavily trounced by Zanu-PF.

He has since retraced his footsteps back to MDC-T and was eyeing the Masvingo Urban seat.

However, party hawks and hardliners reportedly slammed the door on Mr Matutu and his sympathisers in favour of Mr Mureyi, who represented the MDC-T in Masvingo West in the 2013 polls and lost.