MDC-T rejects senator Hlalo’s appeal

via MDC-T rejects senator Hlalo’s appeal 20/10/2014

EMBATTLED MDC-T Bulawayo Senator Matson Hlalo’s bid to wrest control of Bulawayo as its provincial party chair, suffered another setback when the MDC-T national executive dismissed his appeal to have rival Gift Banda’s election to the post reversed on technical grounds.

Banda, who is Bulawayo deputy mayor, clobbered Hlalo by 707 to 413 votes in a provincial party poll Hlalo vehemently disputed as manipulated.

Hlalo responded by filing an urgent chamber application at the Bulawayo High Court seeking an interdict to stop Banda from executing his duties.

The court injunction, which he won Friday, was pending his appeal both within the party systems and the courts on Banda’s eligibility as a bona fide office holder in the MDC-T provincial structures.

Hlalo argued that Banda was unfit to be Bulawayo provincial chair as the length of his service within the opposition party was well under the pegged five year threshold for prospective provincial leaders to compete for posts.

The Senator had also cited in his court challenge party leader Morgan Tsvangirai, a move that has infuriated some militant MDC-T youths who felt he was undermining their leader.

But just before the ink on his successful court interdict had dried, the MDC-T national executive which sat Saturday, dismissed his appeal which he had filed concurrently with the court challenge.

Party spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora told NewZimbabwe.com Monday that the party dismissed Hlalo’s appeal after it had established Banda had in fact joined the party in 2004, just before the party’s first split in 2005.

“The national executive dismissed his internal appeal but we had to abide by the court decision that until the appeal is heard that until his court appeal is heard, Banda will not act as Bulawayo chair,” Mwonzora said.

“Also Banda was elected councillor. You can’t be elected councillor in MDC if you have not served the party for two years and you can’t be elected deputy if you have not yet served for five years.”