Plot to oust James Sithole hits a brick wall

A plot by some Bulawayo MDC Alliance members to pass a vote of no confidence in their Provincial Chairperson, James Sithole, reportedly fell apart last week after it emerged that the youths were against the idea.

Sithole was being accused of hobnobbing with the MDC T. As a result, some members such as the suspended Bulawayo deputy Mayor Tinashe Kambarami were pushing for his ouster from the party.

This publication is reliably informed that the MDC Alliance National Chairperson, Thabitha Khumalo, chaired a meeting in Bulawayo last week whose agenda was to pass a vote of no confidence in James Sithole and the national youth leader, Obey Sithole.

A source who spoke to this publication said that Kambarami and Ostallos Siziba fed Khumalo with lies that the two Sitholes were no longer loyal to that party's cause and should be relieved of their positions.

Basing on the information she received, Khumalo then convened a meeting, purportedly to meet the Bulawayo leadership, but the actual agenda was to initiate a coup on the Sitholes.

Before the said meeting, Kambarami is alleged to have splashed some money to some youths and members so that they would support the vote of no confidence motion in the two leaders. However, the plans were scuttled when James suddenly pitched up for the meeting although he was not invited.

Khumalo allegedly lambasted James for sympathising with the Douglas Mwonzora grouping and the youths were allegedly not amused by Khumalo's venom towards James and retreated on the agreement to pass a vote of no confidence in both James and Obey.

After the failed coup meeting, the youths allegedly confronted Kambarami demanding evidence of James Sithole's disloyalty to the party. It is alleged that the angry youths told Kambarami that he should not use them to score cheap political goals against his nemesis.

The source also said that the planned coup on the youth leader also failed when the youths realised that they were being used as pawns in a big game involving Obey and Siziba, who is eyeing Obey's post.

Obey also attended the Bulawayo meeting unannounced and allegedly hindered the plot to oust him. Obey was also attacked by Khumalo for being a member of the so called Kensington cabal, a group believed to be fed up with Nelson Chamisa's leadership.

The failed coup on Obey and James Sithole was a clear indication of the heightening factionalism within the MDC Alliance allegedly fanned by the aspirations of career factionalists such as Tendai Biti and Charlton Hwende who views Chamisa as a soft spot and incompatible with the regime change objective of the MDC Alliance.