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BULAWAYO - The Matabeleland South MDC executive says it is investigating how its youth assembly came to pass a vote of no confidence on provincial chairperson Watchy Sibanda.
The MDC Matabeleland South youth assembly passed a vote of no confidence on Sibanda on Saturday over allegations of being a “rebel” working in cahoots with party deputy treasurer Elton Mangoma to oust party leader Morgan Tsvangirai.
MDC Matabeleland South provincial spokesperson, Mthokozisi Bhebhe, confirmed the holding of a meeting last Sunday over the matter.
“We have to get facts first before coming up with a decision. We cannot just endorse our youth assembly without investigating the matter because the matter involves our provincial chairman,” Bhebhe told the Daily News on Monday.
“So after getting the facts we will refer it to national disciplinary committee in Harare for consideration. So far that is our position in as far as the matter is concerned,” he said.
Mangoma recently wrote to Tsvangirai calling on him to step down in a move that has created fissures in the opposition party, with political analysts predicting another possible split.
Youths in the province led by Morgan Ncube accused Sibanda of undermining Tsvangirai and betraying the people that elected him into office.
As part of their campaign against Sibanda the youths gave him a one-week deadline to surrender the party’s Isuzu vehicle and warned other provincial and district members against “engaging with rebels” as they risked disciplinary action.
This also comes at a time when Bulawayo provincial youth assembly chairperson Bekithemba Nyathi has declared that youths in Bulawayo were in full support of Tsvangirai and even went as far as saying he was the suitable candidate for the 2018 elections.
Last week Mangoma, together with other senior party officials who are believed to be in support of leadership renewal, were roughed up at the party’s head office as Tsvangirai shrugs off the rising tension.
