Mutare mayor accepts rigged defeat in MDC-T primaries

MUTARE mayor, Tatenda Nhamarare, said he had conceded defeat to MDC-T's ward 8 candidate, Sophia Njanike Gwasira, but would remain a loyal party member although he had reservations over the way the party primary elections were conducted.

"The national council had said that the Dangamvura/Chikanga constituency should be reserved for the youth and in my ward I was the eligible candidate. The issue of reserving seats for the youth was respected in most areas, but not here in Dangamvura/Chikanga," he said.

"We had some elections which were marred by violence and I was called last Monday around midnight that we were going to have elections in the next morning," he said.

"Unfortunately, the other candidates were told earlier than me and they had prepared well for the election and elections were conducted for only one hour and my supporters did not vote as they were turned away and I believe there was a sinister plot to remove me from my post by some party leaders," he said

"I am still a member of the party and I have no intention to join any other party and this is the reason I did not file my nomination papers last week as an independent candidate," he said.

MDC-T Manicaland spokesperson, Trevor Saruwaka admitted that the process had its own challenges.

"The process had its own challenges; those who had the opportunity to mobilise won the elections, but it's now water under the bridge and we are now focusing on winning the upcoming elections," he said.