SW Radio Africa news - The Independent Voice of Zimbabwe
Former journalist and founding member of the MDC, Grace Kwinjeh, was on Saturday told she had not won the party primaries for Makoni Central, two weeks after she had been told she had garnered the majority votes needed to win.
Kwinjeh told SW Radio Africa that she is not accepting this result, a development that comes as the MDC-T is rocked by allegations of candidate imposition and vote irregularities.
MDC-T provincial spokesman for Manicaland Pishai Muchauraya said the “reported” winner, Patrick Sagandira, has been arrested following a violence complaint made by Kwinjeh’s election manager Tazviona Marima.
Last week there were protests at the MDC headquarters when angry demonstrators demanded answers after Elias Jembere, the MDC-T MP for Epworth, was confirmed as the parliamentary candidate after allegedly losing during the primaries.
There have been similar reports of irregularities in almost every province, with some disgruntled party supporters hijacking ballot boxes and burning them in frustration.
Kwinjeh said she had been told that she was leading with a significant majority in the primary elections that took place two weeks ago but the counting process had to be stopped following disturbances during the vote count.
MDC-T election officials led by Deputy Minister of Women’s Affairs, Jessie Majome, resumed the counting of the five remaining wards on Saturday, but Kwinjeh said this took place without her election manager and several other supporters as witnesses, due to more disruptions.
“There was violence on Saturday and we have a police report of people again who were badly assaulted by supporters of this candidate (Sagandira). Again the party did not say anything.
“So I just feel there are a lot of double standards at play. Something is going on, something that is just so wrong and I am not accepting it.”
She said more confusing is that Sagandara has been announced as the new winner even though election officials claim voting has not taken place in two remaining wards.
“So on the one hand they are saying this guy has won but on the other hand they are telling districts to prepare so that they finish counting in two wards that are remaining. That is the confusion in the whole process which makes it lose integrity … and it’s really sad for internal party democracy,” Kwinjeh said.
Contacted for comment Majome, who is the presiding officer, said the elections in Makoni Central were still underway and there is no winner yet as there are still two wards that are still to be counted.
“That election had a first round and preliminary results were announced. I don’t know who told her information that was incorrect and on Saturday we continued and announced preliminary results again,” Majome said.
Bizarrely, the official MDC Facebook page announced Monday that Sagandira had won the primary election, despite comments by Majome, that the election was ongoing. The MDC announcement said:
Manicaland MDC remaining primary elections and confirmation exercises were done successfully yesterday and below are the results of the exercise:
Dangamvura-Chikanga- Hon Giles Mutsekwa- not confirmed
Makoni Central-Patrick Sagandira won the primary election
Mutare North- Irimai Mukwishu won the primary election
Makoni Central is in Manicaland province. The provincial MDC-T leadership took to Facebook to register their displeasure at what is going on in the area. MDC-T provincial chairman Julius Magarangoma wrote: “Imposition of candidates has been unknown in the MDC, but sadly, it has crept in and no one has the guts to dare say it! Let’s stop this rot.” He said a democratic party without democracy will pay the ultimate price at the hands of the people.
Muchauraya also wrote: “The issue of GK is not disputable guys; she is a founder member of our party and has been tortured many times by soldiers and police. I don’t want to comment about what happened at the weekend because it was done by my bosses. What I can simply say is that she is our hero and remains respected by many. It is not the people of Makoni Central to blame but those who failed to respect her value to the party.”
Majome refused to comment on reports of violence saying she wanted to maintain the integrity of the election so as not to prejudice any of the candidates.
Meanwhile, Kwinjeh’s supporters are surprised that a well known activist and rights campaigner, who last year was honored by her party for her role in coining the name Movement for Democratic Change, was not among the group of women who will be part of the new proportional representation system.
Muchauraya, as provincial party spokesman, confirmed that currently there are only three women vying for the Manicaland seats, out of 26 constituencies.
Others also wonder why long serving female members like Kwinjeh went through a rigorous nomination processes when former ZANU PF MP Tracy Mutinhiri, who only joined the MDC-T in 2011 following her expulsion from ZANU PF, went through uncontested.
Mutinhiri was selected the party candidate for Marondera East even though the party’s provincial leadership for Mashonaland East gave the National Executive a damning dossier of her alleged role in the violence that took place in that province when she was the ZANU PF legislator for that area.
Kwinjeh, who was battling it out with five men in her constituency, said she does not know the criteria used to chose candidates. She hoped her candidature would encourage more women to participate in politics.
Below is a copy of a letter Kwinjeh wrote to the MDC-T leadership following reports of irregularities (the letter was sent before the weekend developments):
For the record I am not accepting the charade that took place in Makoni Central. Keep me in your prayers: I have spoken to Mr. Marima, and have come to the sad conclusion that I will not participate in a sham process that some people in the Manicaland province are pushing for in order through intimidation and vote buying to bring success for their candidate. I won the last election and when some people found it difficult to announce me the winner, working together with their preferred candidate, they disrupted the process, in order to buy time and get this seat by hook or crook. I left Zimbabwe many years ago, and I fail to relate to some ways we do things, such as the way the party has handled the Makoni Central election. I have worked hard, have not blackmailed the party or any leaders, to the fact that I am the only female, my sacrifices to this struggle and even by coming home what I stand to lose. Double standards at a broader national level, at which even some constituencies are said to have been reserved for women. I do not have the energy to fight senseless battles, to put people’s lives who have remained faithful to me their chosen candidate, to any further risks. I do not belong to any faction, I support our party and pray that we rise collectively to meet the expectations of those who have died, been maimed for this cause. The bulk of Zimbabweans who have lost faith in us as party, have because of this kind of behavior, they judge us not by what we say but we do. I hope you can bring this to the attention of the party leadership, thank you and God bless you!!
Click here for interview with Grace Kwinjeh Click here for interview with Jessie Majome
To contact this reporter email [email protected] or follow on Twitter