By Paul Nyathi|The Tendai Biti led People’s Democratic Party has strongly defended its Bulawayo councillor elected under the MDC Alliance who is under heavy attack for attending a swearing in ceremony allegedly drunk.
In a statement issued on behalf of the party by the national youth wing, the opposition party warned the radical Matabeleland regional grouping Mthwakazi Republic Party against abusing their councillor Arnold Batirai of ward 24 in Bulawayo.
The highly tribal MRP has openly challenged Batirai for demanding to conduct his swearing in oath in Shona instead of English. The party which is mobilising for the cessation of Matabeleland region from the country has since demanded that Batirai be recalled from council allegedly for disrespecting the people of Bulawayo by insisting on swearing in using Shona and for being drunk at the swearing in ceremony.
In the statement issued by the PDP Youth Deputy President for Bulawayo Province Wellington Nare, the party disputes that Batirai was in any way under the influence of alcohol when he made his demands to be sworn in using Shona.
The party insists it is well within his right to use any of the sixteen official languages in the country.
The statement issued by the youth wing appears to be contradicting an earlier ascertion by the party Deputy President Kucaca Phulu who condemned Batirai’s behaviour and warned that stern measures will be taken against the young councillor. ZimEye.com could not immediately get a comment from Phulu on the development.
Batirai is also the party Youth Wing President. The full statement from his collegues reads as follows:
“We the youth assembly of PDP which is part of MDC Alliance would like to warn the unruly elements of MRP who continue to abuse and violate the rights of our youth assembly president and thousands of the people of Bulawayo who rejected MRP in Nketa and Bulawayo.
We are a peace loving youth assembly and we believe in engagement but the level which these misguided elements continue to spew their tribal propaganda to the person of our leader is reaching to another level.
The people of Bulawayo chose what they want and the same persons who were rejected outrightly in Bulawayo must simply allow the elected officials execute their mandate.
Bulawayo is a metropolitan province which houses almost every one including people of different regions and nationalities, any politics that seeks to reduce Bulawayo to a village in Buhera or Nkayi is unrevolutionary.
We call upon the people of Bulawayo to unite and foster development and engage the elected councillors to ensure Bulawayo lives to it’s vision.
By Wellington Nare
PDP Youth Assembly Deputy President.