MDC proxies fail to sustain Tsholotsho campaigns

MDC proxies posing as independent candidates in the Tsholotsho North by-election have literally disappeared with only Zanu-PF visibly campaigning in the constituency.

With the elections about four weeks away, villagers yesterday said they had never seen the independent candidates.

A visit to the constituency yesterday revealed that only Zanu-PF candidate Professor Jonathan Moyo had put up campaign posters in the area with none belonging to his challengers Busani Ncube and Gertrude Sibanda.

Zanu-PF Ward campaign teams were busy conducting door-to-door campaigns in the constituency as the historical by- elections in 16 constituencies on June 10 draw near

Despite registering as independent candidates, Ncube confirmed being a member of the MDC-T while Sibanda also confessed that she belonged to the MDC Renewal.

Ncube was not reachable for comment yesterday while Sibanda confirmed that she was yet to conduct campaigns. "I haven't put up posters, I was hoping to start on Monday. I will also start campaigning soon," she said.

Asked if she had enough resources to campaign, Sibanda said, 1 have just a little."

The Chronicle caught up with a Zanu-PF Ward campaign team in Jimila area led by Selbourne Banda who said the exercise was going well

"The party has deployed teams to all wards. We've been here for some time now. We're conducting a door-to-door campaign. We sell our party manifesto and when people agree to be part of us, we then register them in our cells," said Banda.

Zanu-PF Central Committee member Alois Ndebele said the party was confident of a landslide victory.

"We're busy on the ground campaigning for Zanu-PF with our candidate Prof Moyo. The people have said they've realised their mistake in voting Roselyn (Sipepa-Nkomo) because she didn't do anything for the people since her election to Parliament," said Ndebele.

"The people are responding very well and they're telling us that we've won even before the election is held, what they want is a huge margin. Those who refer to themselves as Independents have never been seen. We've never crossed paths during the campaigns and die people say they don't even know them."

Ndebele said the people only heard about the two alter they filed names in the nomination courts but disappeared.

"We're present in all the ten wards and the response is very good We're expecting huge numbers," he said.

A villager, Senzeni Sibanda, of Zabagwadi said she had only seen Prof Moyo's campaign team.

"We've only seen (Prof) Jonathan's campaign teams and posters here. Are you saying there are other candidates? We haven't seen them here as you can see there are Zanu-PF posters here," said Sibanda who was quick to add that she is married to a war veteran.

"We're going to vote and our candidate is Jonathan. He will win because we're all going to rally behind him."

Siphathisiwe Mpofu, who was in Sibanda^ company, echoed her sentiments saying, "as far as we're concerned there is one candidate here and that is Prof Jonathan Mbya"

TWenty-two- year- old Melvin Ncube said he would be casting his vote after getting a replacement of his lost ID document

He also said he was not aware of any other candidate in the area other than Prof Moyo.

"We've attended meetings held by Zanu-PF campaign teams. They're the only people on the ground," said Ncube