News / National
Madhuku's party to welcome MDC-T rebels
26 Sep 2013 at 17:01hrs | Views
MDC-T members who contested the last elections as independents will seek to join the new party expected to be formed by National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) chair, Lovemore Madhuku, it was confirmed this week.
The rebels formed the Independent Candidates Coalition (ICC) ahead of the July polls after failing to contest the vote on the MDC-T ticket due to what they described as gross irregularities in the conduct of the party's primary elections.
The MDC-T successfully petitioned the courts to block them from using its open palm symbol and pictures of party leader Morgan Tsvangirai arguing they would confuse supporters ahead of the elections which it then lost by a landslide to Zanu-PF.
The disgruntled members held a meeting in the Midlands city of Gweru early this week where it was agreed they would seek to join Madhuku's prospective party after realising they had "no future in the MDC-T".
Key figures who attended the meeting include Emmanuel Chiroto, Felix Magalela Mafa, Aaron Chinhara who lost the MDC-T primaries for Redcliff, Samuel Sandla Khumalo who wanted to represent the MDC-T in the Magwegwe constituency and former Sunningdale councillor Musa Macheza.
"We have realised that there is no future for us in the MDC-T. The party imposed candidates on our constituencies in the last election meaning that we are no longer wanted; hence the decision to join the Madhuku-led political party," one of the officials told reporters.
Madhuku has confirmed he would step-down from the NCA which has been campaigning for a new constitution and opposed the charter adopted by the last coalition government saying it was not people-driven.
The rebels formed the Independent Candidates Coalition (ICC) ahead of the July polls after failing to contest the vote on the MDC-T ticket due to what they described as gross irregularities in the conduct of the party's primary elections.
The MDC-T successfully petitioned the courts to block them from using its open palm symbol and pictures of party leader Morgan Tsvangirai arguing they would confuse supporters ahead of the elections which it then lost by a landslide to Zanu-PF.
Key figures who attended the meeting include Emmanuel Chiroto, Felix Magalela Mafa, Aaron Chinhara who lost the MDC-T primaries for Redcliff, Samuel Sandla Khumalo who wanted to represent the MDC-T in the Magwegwe constituency and former Sunningdale councillor Musa Macheza.
"We have realised that there is no future for us in the MDC-T. The party imposed candidates on our constituencies in the last election meaning that we are no longer wanted; hence the decision to join the Madhuku-led political party," one of the officials told reporters.
Madhuku has confirmed he would step-down from the NCA which has been campaigning for a new constitution and opposed the charter adopted by the last coalition government saying it was not people-driven.
Source - newzim
