MDC-T’s provincial executive has resolved to stick to academic Mandla Nyathi as the party’s candidate for Bulawayo mayor despite indications Zanu PF is determined to thwart efforts to second a non-elected councillor for the post.
Report by Njabulo Ncube
Former Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai last week proposed alternative candidates for Harare and Chitungwiza drawn from elected councillors saying the party needed a plan B.
But in a move that is likely to put the party at odds with former Local Government minister Ignatius Chombo who has vowed to stop the election of mayors drawn from outside councillors elected on July 31, MDC- T Bulawayo provincial spokesperson Mandla Sibanda yesterday told Southern Eye met on Friday and resolved to stick with Nyathi.
Nyathi is a lecturer at the National University of Science and Technology and his nomination was endorsed by Tsvangirai. “The provincial executive met on Friday last week,” Sibanda said. “It confirmed and endorsed the decision taken by the MDC-T national leadership to have our candidate Dr Mandla Nyathi installed as the new mayor of Bulawayo. “We are sticking with that decision of the national leadership and we will fight anything that is brought on our way.” The MDC-T swept all the contested council and parliamentary seats in Bulawayo.
