TellZim Reporter
BIKITA – MDC Alliance presidential candidate, Nelson Chamisa was in the district on Sunday July 16, where he is said to have endorsed the candidature of Boniface Mudzingwa for the Bikita East parliamentary seat at the expense of one of the alliance principals and Transform Zimbabwe (TZ) leader, Jacob Ngarivhume.
MDC Alliance Masvingo provincial chairperson, James Gumbi confirmed the developments, saying Chamisa declared ‘the preferred’ candidate during the visit.
“Yes it’s true. The president was here yesterday (Sunday) to find out the preferences of the people on the ground and he declared Mudzingwa as candidate,” said Gumbi.
Asked if everybody was OK with the decision given the dissent from the TZ quarters, Gumbi said Chamisa’s decision was final and anybody who chose to go against it would pay the political price.
“They would be lucky to get even 50 votes if they choose to go against the decision. It’s all about what the voters want. In Masvingo South, president Chamisa declared Justin Makota as the candidate,” said Gumbi.
TZ officials, however, dismissed claims that Chamisa had declared Mudzingwa as candidate for Bikita East, claiming Ngarivhume was still in the race.
“Our leader, Mr. Jacob Ngarivhume is still the alliance’s rightful parliamentary candidate for Bikita East and we are on the ground campaigning for him. Chamisa did not endorse Mudzingwa,” said TZ youth provincial youth leader, Clayson Chimbidzikai.
He acknowledged, however, that all was not well for the alliance in the constituency, saying the matter ought to be resolved urgently.
“There are serious disagreements there because of people who do not want to accept an orderly way of doing things. There are also similar problems in Masvingo South but we maintain Mr. Justin Makota is the rightful MDC Alliance candidate there. Our president is currently in Bikita but we expect him to travel to Harare for an audience with other principals,” said Chimbidzikai.
In Masvingo South, Lovemore Matongo of MDC-T Chamisa faction successfully filed to contest for the seat which had, from the very beginning, been allocated to TZ which in turn fielded Makota as the candidate.politics
