Staff Reporter

Gloves are off in MDC Alliance Masvingo structures as party members fight each other to replace recalled Ward Four councillor, Godfrey Kurauone, in the coming by-elections.

Kurauone was recalled as Masvingo Ward Four councillor in December 2020 by the MDC T and he has since sought asylum in America. The race to replace him has triggered massive factional wars in Masvingo as both the Chamisa faction and Maruva cabal have both lined up candidates to fill the vacant post in the coming by-elections.

A source who spoke to this publication said the coming by-elections were likely to destabilise the MDC Alliance in Masvingo as senior party members were now meddling in the affairs of Masvingo Province in order to position their proxies.

“There is a serious wrangle in Masvingo Urban District Constituency Coordinating Committee over the replacement of Kurauone in Ward Four. The coming by-elections have triggered factional fights as the Chamisa faction and Maruva Cabal are fighting for the same Ward. As it stands, four aspiring candidates namely Constituency Coordinating Committee members Ismael Vembo, Aleck Tabe, Women Assembly secretary Sithokozile Muchuchuti and District Woman’s Assembly member Loice Magomo, are vigorously campaigning for the post. They all claim that they had the blessing of some members of the presidium,” said the source.

The source said that one of the Maruva Cabal members was likely to clinch the vacant posts as Chamisa faction had no ground in Masvingo Urban. However, the source said that the Chamisa faction had swiftly moved to counter its rivals by directing that only youths would be allowed to contest in Ward Four.

“Deputy national spokesperson, Gift Ostallos Siziba who is Chamisa’s right hand man, wrote a letter this week directed to Masvingo Provincial Youth chairperson, Bernard Chimwango, telling him that Ward Four was reserved for youths in the coming by-elections. This directive has angered the Women’s Assembly and other party members as they view this as an indirect imposition of candidates by the Chamisa faction. Some members are now threatening to boycott the primary elections and the coming by-elections,” said the source.

The same source added that if the imposition was not curbed at its infancy, it will cascade to other places and this would greatly disturb the party.

Efforts to get a comment from MDC Alliance’s spokesperson hit a snag as her mobile phones were not reachable.