by Bevan Musoko

Divisions and disgruntlement are brewing among the newly-elected and sworn-in MDC Alliance Bulawayo City councillors and provincial political leadership over attempts by the Alliance leader, Nelson Chamisa to impose his preferred acolytes as Mayor and Deputy Mayor.

Sources who attended a provincial caucus meeting on the impending election of the country's second largest city's Mayor and his Deputy disclosed that the MDC Chamisa's faction Bulawayo Provincial Organising Secretary, James Sithole told members that he had received an instruction from Chamisa to ensure that Councillors Solomon Mguni and Mlandu Ncube were elected Mayor and Deputy Mayor respectively. Sithole further told those in attendance that Chamisa had threatened that members opposed to the duo's election risked expulsion from the party.

The formation's national spokesperson, Tabitha Khumalo expressed shock at Chamisa's instruction, while describing Mguni and Ncube as corrupt. She told shocked Councillors that Chamisa had no right to dictate to them and that they were free to choose Council leaders of their choice. Khumalo declared that she was prepared to resign from the party if any Councillor got victimised over the issue.

Former Councillors, Alderman Israel Mabaleka (2003 to 2013) and Bathandi Mpofu, who was a Councillor between 1991 and 2000 also castigated the maneuvers by Chamisa as dictatorial. "Chamisa should concentrate on fighting his wars esiShoneni khonangale, not ukukhetha ubukhokheli balapha," said Ald Mpofu.

The MDC Alliance won all the 29 Council seats in Bulawayo. An attempt to choose the Mayor and Deputy Mayor on 4 September failed, ostensibly over legal niceties, although sources in Council claimed it was related to machinations to resist Chamisa's impositions. Chamisa has also been accused of imposing his blue-eyed boys as Council leaders in Gweru and Chitungwiza.