News / National
Tsvangirai forms alliance with own candidate
10 Jul 2013 at 07:38hrs | Views
ONE of Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's alliance partners Reketayi Semwayo is actually contesting the elections on an MDC-T ticket and has been disowned by his own Zanu Ndonga party, it has emerged.
On Monday, Tsvangirai confirmed he had established a so-called "Coalition for Change" with former finance minister and Mavambo Kusile leader, Simba Makoni, as well as Semwayo, who was said to be representing Zanu Ndonga.
A list of election candidates released by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission shows that Semwayo registered to contest the Chipinge Central parliamentary seat as an MDC-T candidate.
He is running against Zanu-PF independent Dorothy Mabika, Miriam Matengura of Ncube's MDC and Raymond Machingura, Zanu-PF's official representative.
MDC-T spokesman, Douglas Mwonzora said there was nothing amiss about Semwayo running as an MDC-T candidate.
"A coalition is not formed on the date that it is announced. The coalition was formed earlier than that. There is also nothing wrong for a coalition partner to contest under the banner of another partner," Mzonzora told the Herald.
Semwayo has also been disowned by Zanu Ndonga with party leader Wilson Khumbula dismissing him as a former driver for the late Ndabaningi Sithole who held no position in Zanu Ndonga.
But observers have expressed reservations over what Semwayo and Makoni, who does not appear to have structures on the ground, bring to the alliance.
On Monday, Tsvangirai confirmed he had established a so-called "Coalition for Change" with former finance minister and Mavambo Kusile leader, Simba Makoni, as well as Semwayo, who was said to be representing Zanu Ndonga.
A list of election candidates released by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission shows that Semwayo registered to contest the Chipinge Central parliamentary seat as an MDC-T candidate.
He is running against Zanu-PF independent Dorothy Mabika, Miriam Matengura of Ncube's MDC and Raymond Machingura, Zanu-PF's official representative.
MDC-T spokesman, Douglas Mwonzora said there was nothing amiss about Semwayo running as an MDC-T candidate.
"A coalition is not formed on the date that it is announced. The coalition was formed earlier than that. There is also nothing wrong for a coalition partner to contest under the banner of another partner," Mzonzora told the Herald.
Semwayo has also been disowned by Zanu Ndonga with party leader Wilson Khumbula dismissing him as a former driver for the late Ndabaningi Sithole who held no position in Zanu Ndonga.
But observers have expressed reservations over what Semwayo and Makoni, who does not appear to have structures on the ground, bring to the alliance.
Source - herald
