MDC Alliance, independent candidates clash

MDC ALLIANCE activists in Matabeleland North are up in arms with Tsholotsho South independent candidate, Lawrence Hastings Matshazi, whom they accuse of illegally using the alliance's campaign pictures and colours.

Innocent Zenzo Nkomo is the MDC Alliance candidate for Tsholotsho South.

MDC Matabeleland North provincial chairman Leonard Mhlanga told Southern Eye yesterday that they had reported the matter to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) and the police.

"We reported the matter to Zec provincial elections officer Mark Ndlovu and the police's PISI [Police Internal Security Intelligence] section about the Matshazi saga on July 11," Mhlanga said.

He said the police refused to deal with issue, saying it was an internal matter which required the attention of the party.

Mhlanga said Zec demanded evidence of the offence, which they submitted to Ndlovu, but they have not acted on the issue.

"This will provoke us, we do not want violence. So this is provoking violence. We expect the electoral body to take steps on such an issue to enable us to maintain peace," he said.

Mhlanga said independent candidates were not members of the Zec multi-party liaison committee and that was why they violated peace processes agreed upon by member parties.

Matshazi said he was an MDC Alliance candidate, as his nomination papers were signed by the party and it was the party that should tell him not to use the material in question, not individuals who were campaigning for another candidate.

"The difference is that I submitted my papers later than Nkomo, but both of us had papers signed by the party. So I am campaigning for myself and the president Nelson Chamisa. I cannot be stopped from campaigning for the president and let the one who is not popular gets elected. Why are they crying? We do not want cry-babies," he said.

"Do you know that Zapu is campaigning for Chamisa? I am campaigning for Chamisa, Nkomo is campaigning for Chamisa. So let all of us go in and the one wanted by people will win. So I will not stop campaigning for myself and president Chamisa."

Ndlovu had no kind words for the MDC Alliance provincial leader, saying the electoral body was tired of crybabies.

"We do not want crybabies. Political parties know that we have an election dispute resolution platform called multi-party liaison committee from ward to national level. They can take such a person to the committee and they should stop blaming us for all these things," he said.

"We are tired of people who say we are incompetent, yet there are structures which are supposed to take their matters to. All wards, districts and provinces have these committees and we must stop hearing this unnecessary noise."