The party that started off in 1999 with workers, commercial farmers, students and other forces is set to be dominated by former student leaders after Nelson Chamisa, Chalton Hwende, Jacob Mafume, Tererai Obey Sithole, Tendai Biti and Daniel Molekele among other former student leaders have so far been nominated for key positions in the opposition MDC party.

zifmnews.com

So far Chamisa remains the only one to have been nominated for the party top post with five out of five provinces having finished the process.

Chamisa, a lawyer and former Harare Polytechnic student leader is in the race to take the party leadership with former student leader, Tendai Biti, also a lawyer eyeing the vice president post.

Biti so far is in contest with top lawyer, Welshman Ncube for the post.

Others nominated for the vice president’s post are Paurina Mpariwa, Morgen Komichi among others.

Another student leader eyeing a top post in the MDC ahead of the party congress in May is Chalton Hwende who has been nominated for the post of secretary general, a very key post in the party.

Hwende was the secretary general in the Zimbabwe National Students Union while Job Sikhala, another nominee in the MDC congress dynamics was the spokesperson.

Molekele, formerly known as Fortune Mguni, who cut his political teeth when he deputised former MDC spokesperson, the late Learnmore Jongwe at the University of Zimbabwe in the late 90s, has been nominated also for the prestigious secretary general post.

Mafume, also a former UZ student leader after serving in the capacity of secretary general is set to fight to retain his post as party spokesperson with Gweru based lawyer Brian Dube having been nominated as his deputy.

David Coltart, a top lawyer has been nominated for the post of treasurer general.

In a statement Thursday, MDC spokesperson Jacob Mafume said congress preparations were going on well.

He said the congress is set to define a new course for Zimbabwe.