LATEST: Nelson Chamisa accepts defeat

ZwNews.com

The Movement for Democratic Change-Alliance (MDC-Alliance) president Nelson Chamisa has accepted defeat in the just ended council elections in Cowdry Park, Bulawayo, but vowed to put his house in-order to prevent a recurrence.

ZANU-PF benefitted from the MDC-Alliance’s failure to unite for a common cause, the party fielded two candidates, thereby weakened itself through vote-splitting to the benefit of the ruling party.

Writing on twitter, Chamisa said the results were a serious reminder for the need to strengthen the party right from the grassroots level, and bemoaned the loss as a seat donation to ZANU-PF.

“The Cowdry Park Ward election results a stark reminder of the urgent need for far reaching ‘root and branch’ reforms, and renewal set to kick in at congress.

“Leadership excesses and conduct that resulted in the party donating a seat to our opposition is regrettable. This is the last of it!,” Said Chamisa.

Zanu PF candidate Kidwell Mujuru polled 1 899 votes to romp to victory taking advantage of deep-seated factionalism in the opposition MDC Alliance camp which saw the party fielding two candidates Nomagugu Mloyi and Collet Ndlovu who got 1 229 and 221 votes, respectively.

There are two main factions in the MDC-Alliance, one backing party president Chamisa, with the other supporting the party’s secretary general Douglas Mwonzora who is plotting to unseat Chamisa from the throne, in the party’s forthcoming congress set for May this year.

A total of 18 candidates took part in elections.

The seat fell vacant in December last year following the death of MDC Alliance’s Hapson Nyasha Ncube, and the fielding of two candidates has splitted the votes in ZANU-PF’s favour. But Chamisa said the ‘seat donation’ as a result of internal divisions, should end as he expects to use the loss as a lesson, and avoid complacency going forward into future elections.