via Nhamarare elected Mutare mayor – DailyNews Live by Bernard Chiketo 17 SEPTEMBER 2013
MUTARE – MDC councillor Tatenda Nhamarare was Tuesday elected Mutare mayor with Zanu PF’s Colin Mukwada taking the deputy mayoral post.
Nhamarare was elected with 10 votes against Thomas Nyamupanedengu in a result that saw Zanu PF supporters wildly celebrating. Mukwada won with the same votes against MDC’s Kudakwashe Chisango.
The MDC had a fault line between five and eight councillors while Zanu PF had six councillors. The five councillors were openly aligned to the Giles Mutsekwa provincial faction in the July 31 election, with the other eight backing Dangamvura-Chikanga MP Arnold Tsunga.
Esau Mupfumi, a senior Zanu PF member and key financier, was seen barking and signalling instructions to guide the process from the gallery, openly urging his party’s councillors to continue the pattern as an agreement had long been made.
“Ngoma ndiyo-ndiyo nekuti chisungo takasunga (Follow the pattern as an agreement has since been made),” Mupfumi said, with Zanu PF supporters bursting into song.
The election of Nhamarare however, diverts MDC from a collision course with Local Government minister, Ignatius Chombo who has vowed to block any mayor who is not popularly elected.
Before the furore over the legality about choosing a mayor outside elected councillors, MDC had expressed interest in electing former mayor, Brian James into the position.
The call for James to be elected mayor had exposed him to racial attacks from fliers bearing a logo of his party which read, “”Tinodirei kuramba tiri pasi pevarungu kunge vakatipfuhwira (Why do we always want to be under white people as if they gave us love portions).”
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