MDC-T and Zanu PF are headed for a clash over the election of mayors, as the Local Government ministry says these will be elected from winning councillors, while Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s party insists that it can choose from outside council.
Staff Reporter
This comes amid revelations that the MDC-T leadership was last night expected to decide on who Bulawayo’s next mayor would be, with reports that the race had been narrowed down to lawyer Kucaca Phulu and academic Mandla Nyathi.
However, sources said Nyathi, a lecturer at the National University of Science and Technology was the favourite.
Local Government, Rural and Urban Development secretary Killian Mpingo told the State media that the government had done away with the 2008 system that saw Muchadeyi Masunda elected mayor, even though he was not a councillor.
But MDC-T Bulawayo provincial chairman Gorden Moyo insisted Mpingo was out of order and his party would do as it chose.
“The permanent secretary who issued that directive is out of order,” he said. “This country is not run through directives. We have the Constitution and an Act of Parliament. We will ignore that.”
Meanwhile, an MDC-T source has revealed the party leadership will have to decide on the post of mayor, as it is a senior one.
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“The selection of the mayor has been narrowed to two strong candidates from all the contenders and the national leadership is expected to make a decision tonight (yesterday),” it was revealed.
“After careful consideration, it is now down to those two (Phulu and Nyathi). “The mayor will be an equivalent of a governor and this means the selection has to be done by the president of the party and the standing committee.”
