By Innocent Mujeri
A shocking revelation to this publication has it that the recently elected MDC Alliance’s Bulawayo Deputy Mayor, Ward 1 Councillor Mlandu Ncube has declared allegiance to Thokozani Khupe.
In a leaked WhatsApp Chat between Councillor Ncube and Ward 24 Councillor, Anorld Batirai, the former wrote that, “I am happy to be umuntu kaKhupe than being umuntu wokuza.(I am happy to be Khupe’s person than a foreigner). Councillor Ncube said, “Khupe was not going to allow Shona people from Masvingo to come and displace Ndebele people in their own City.”
Ncube further ordered Councillor Batirai to, “go and tell your masters that it was said first and last.”
In the same heated conversation, Councillor Batirai accused the later for being tribal and stalled development in Bulawayo. He further said that Councillor Ncube sought to destabilise the party and created tribal based factions in that province.
In an interview with this publication, one MDC-A Councillor from Bulawayo who preferred anonymity, revealed that prior to the MDC-Alliance Congress held in 2019, that party was rocked with factional fights with one faction led by the former Bulawayo Provincial Chairperson, Gift Banda vying for Mwonzora to lead the party whilst the other faction led by the current chairperson James Sithole vied for Chamisa.
The Sithole faction was being accused of imposing Shona candidates at the expense of the Ndebele a development which brewed tensions in the party.
“Mlandu has never supported Chamisa ever since he was booted out as the provincial Youth Chairperson. The young man is very vocal and stood his ground for the Ndebele members. The problem with the party’s leadership is they overlook tribal balance where the other tribe gets more preference than the other. The same way they took power from Khupe at Tsvangirai’s funeral is the same way they want to wipe out Ndebele people in the MDC. When this situation gets out of hand we would mobilise support for our daughter, Khupe because we still feel she had the right to be given an opportunity to lead since she was a veteran member of the party”, lamented the source.
MDC formations have since been rocked with factional feuds following the death of Tsvangirai and the subsequent 2018 elections. The formations continued to battle over the issue of leadership and property ownership, despite the court’s ruling which reinstated Khupe as the legitimate acting leader of MDC-T.
