The Sunday News
Sukulwenkosi Dube
MDC-T national chairman Mr Lovemore Moyo has come under fire with party members accusing him of improperly reappointing people who had defected from the party to contest as independent candidates in last year’s harmonised elections.
According to party members from Bulilima East, Mr Moyo has reappointed Mr Vincent Moyo to become Matabeleland South’s organising secretary.
They also accused him of facilitating the appointment of Mr Solani Moyo as Bulilima East district chairperson and 12 other members that had defected within the district.
During last year’s elections, Solani defected from the party to become an independent candidate for the Bulilima East National of Assembly seat while Vincent defected to become his chief election agent.
Disgruntled party members from the district met on Thursday afternoon to draft a petition, which they addressed to the party leader, Mr Morgan Tsvangirai.
In their petition they expressed dissatisfaction over the way Mr Moyo was interfering in party affairs at district level and dictating the decision-making process.
It emerged during the meeting that Mr Moyo is alleged to have sponsored the campaigns of some defected candidates from the district.
Mr Moyo was the Speaker of the House of Assembly from 2008 to 2013 and he could not be reached for comment.
“Our concern is that Mr Moyo is interfering in the affairs of Matabeleland South Province a lot especially in our area, Bulilima East. We are shocked to have learnt that he helped some independent candidates with regalia for their campaigns. It appears like he is the one who encouraged them to defect in the first place,” said the district’s youth chairperson, Mr Friday Mpofu.
He said according to party procedures a member who defected had to first serve at branch level for two years before getting a higher position.
Mr Mpofu said Mr Moyo reappointed Vincent at provincial level, who went on to organise a congress during the course of the week with the help of Solani and other members from the district who had defected from the party.
He said as a result of all that chaos, party members from the district boycotted the district congress which had been scheduled for Wednesday at Matjinge area.
“Our district has 17 wards and only members from three wards attended the congress because we did not want to be part and parcel of their dirty work. At the congress 13 people including Solani were appointed unprocedurally,” said Mr Mpofu.
He said when questioned the party members revealed that they were acting on orders they received from Mr Moyo.
Mr Mpofu said the bulk of the members who were appointed as officers at district level contested as independent candidates while the rest assisted the independent candidates with their campaigns.
Mr Mpofu said district party members who had remained loyal to the party when many defected had been replaced with defectors.
