The MDC-Alliance has told newly-elected Chegutu mayor councillor Henry Muchatibaya to resign, and has since directed another newly-elected mayor in Masvingo, Advocate Collins Maboke, to do the same because both were not the party preferred candidates.
Cllrs Muchatibaya and Maboke were elected mayors last week ahead of candidates prescribed by the party, Cllr Mathias Shumba in Chegutu and Cllr Godfrey Kurauone in Masvingo.
In Chegutu, MDC-Alliance provincial chairman Ralph Magunje confirmed to state media that the party ordered Cllr Muchatibaya to resign, saying anyone who defied the national directive faced expulsion.
“As a province, we stand guided by national directives,” he said. “Any further defiance leads to expulsion from the party and recalling of those councillors.
“All councillors are expected to adhere to party directives with regards to election of mayors, deputy mayors and committee chairs in all towns and cities we control. Failure to do that leads to party membership suspension for five years and continued defiance results in expulsion.”
The decision to force Clr Muchatibaya to step down has irked councillors, with some of them threatening to defy the party directive.
In Masvingo, the party has since told Clr Maboke to immediately resign, accusing him and his backers of defying a party directive to vote for Ward 4 Clr Kurauone as mayor. MDC-Alliance Masvingo provincial chair Mr James Gumbi confirmed that Clr Maboke has been ordered to step down.
“It is true, that decision was made on Friday last week, it was resolved that Councillor Mberikunashe (who is said to be Mr Chamisa’s nephew) takes over the mayoral post in Masvingo in place of Advocate Maboke,” he said.
Clr Maboke was last week elected mayor after beating Clr Kurauone by seven votes to three, resulting in party supporters erupting in protest as they argued over who should have been elected.
Zanu-PF Ward 6 Clr Wellington Mahwende was voted the deputy mayor on the same margin as Clr Maboke.
He beat MDC-Alliance’s candidate Clr Selina Maridza (Ward 1). MDC-Alliance has seven seats in the council, as compared to Zanu-PF’s three.