News / National
Chamisa buckles under Bulawayo pressure
23 May 2019 at 01:42hrs | Views
MDC Alliance leader Mr Nelson Chamisa has reportedly buckled to pressure from disgruntled Bulawayo members and agreed to reconvene the provincial congress to elect the structure's leadership.
Mr Chamisa came under fire after he presided over a "chaotic" provincial congress in Bulawayo with some party members accusing him of manipulating the process to favour some candidates on the grounds of ethnicity.
According to party insiders, the Bulawayo provincial congress will be held after the party's national congress to be held in Gweru this week.
The sources said in order to cool rising temperatures in the party, the losing candidates have been allowed to attend the congress.
"The national council met on Monday and received the recommendations of the appeals committee that the congress should be done afresh and those recommendations were adopted," said a source.
The source said the province, after the national executive council meeting, was contacting losing candidates and requesting their details so that they are included as delegates to the congress.
"What will happen is that the top ten members of those who won in the congress and the top ten of the losing candidates will all go to the congress. Additionally the two groups will nominate 18 members each to attend the congress," said the source.
The source said after the national congress, Bulawayo province is then expected to re-do their congress and elect the provincial executive.
MDC Alliance provincial spokesperson Mr Swithern Chirowodza yesterday said they had not received any communication or instruction to register the losing candidates. However, sources insisted that the party's organising secretary Mr Amos Chibaya actually gave the province an instruction to register the losing candidates.
After the chaotic congress, losing Bulawayo provincial executive aspirants took on Mr Chamisa head-on accusing him of manipulating processes to achieve his desired outcome.
In a letter to the party's national executive, 12 losing candidates blamed Mr Chamisa and Mr Chibaya for the chaotic congress. The losing candidates alleged that the interference by Mr Chamisa and Mr Chibaya benefited Mr James Sithole's camp. Mr Sithole was elected provincial chairperson.
They further argued that the provincial congress was illegal as it did not adhere to the party processes, conduct and procedures.
Last week, disgruntled MDC Alliance officials gave Mr Chamisa a hostile reception to Bulawayo city by painting graffiti at the party's provincial offices denigrating him for alleged dictatorship and tribalism.
Mr Chamisa was in the city for the party's provincial caucus where contestants vying for posts at the party's scheduled congress were presenting their manifestos.
Some of the messages written on the walls and gate to the party provincial office include, "Chamisa ule nketha betshabi (Chamisa you are tribalistic), "Chamisa usubulele i MDC" (Chamisa you have destroyed MDC), "Chamisa a worse dictator", "Chamisa uyadelela" (Chamisa you are disrespectful) among other derogatory and inflammatory messages.
Mr Chamisa came under fire after he presided over a "chaotic" provincial congress in Bulawayo with some party members accusing him of manipulating the process to favour some candidates on the grounds of ethnicity.
According to party insiders, the Bulawayo provincial congress will be held after the party's national congress to be held in Gweru this week.
The sources said in order to cool rising temperatures in the party, the losing candidates have been allowed to attend the congress.
"The national council met on Monday and received the recommendations of the appeals committee that the congress should be done afresh and those recommendations were adopted," said a source.
The source said the province, after the national executive council meeting, was contacting losing candidates and requesting their details so that they are included as delegates to the congress.
"What will happen is that the top ten members of those who won in the congress and the top ten of the losing candidates will all go to the congress. Additionally the two groups will nominate 18 members each to attend the congress," said the source.
The source said after the national congress, Bulawayo province is then expected to re-do their congress and elect the provincial executive.
MDC Alliance provincial spokesperson Mr Swithern Chirowodza yesterday said they had not received any communication or instruction to register the losing candidates. However, sources insisted that the party's organising secretary Mr Amos Chibaya actually gave the province an instruction to register the losing candidates.
After the chaotic congress, losing Bulawayo provincial executive aspirants took on Mr Chamisa head-on accusing him of manipulating processes to achieve his desired outcome.
In a letter to the party's national executive, 12 losing candidates blamed Mr Chamisa and Mr Chibaya for the chaotic congress. The losing candidates alleged that the interference by Mr Chamisa and Mr Chibaya benefited Mr James Sithole's camp. Mr Sithole was elected provincial chairperson.
They further argued that the provincial congress was illegal as it did not adhere to the party processes, conduct and procedures.
Last week, disgruntled MDC Alliance officials gave Mr Chamisa a hostile reception to Bulawayo city by painting graffiti at the party's provincial offices denigrating him for alleged dictatorship and tribalism.
Mr Chamisa was in the city for the party's provincial caucus where contestants vying for posts at the party's scheduled congress were presenting their manifestos.
Some of the messages written on the walls and gate to the party provincial office include, "Chamisa ule nketha betshabi (Chamisa you are tribalistic), "Chamisa usubulele i MDC" (Chamisa you have destroyed MDC), "Chamisa a worse dictator", "Chamisa uyadelela" (Chamisa you are disrespectful) among other derogatory and inflammatory messages.
Source - chronicle
