By Lionel Saungweme | The MDC Alliance (MDCA) has expelled Nomagugu Mloyi for upholding her candidature despite losing the Luveve Township, Ward 28 primary election held on 28 February 2019 at the party offices in Bulawayo. Businessman, Collet Ndhlovu, gannered 130 votes to Nomagugu’s 70. Since the primary election, which oddiously took place after the sitting of the Nomination Court, Nomagugu has not accepted her electoral loss.
After the initial primary election for Ward 28 was aborted, MDCA decided that both nominees should register with the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), at the sitting of the Nomination Court, after which a primary election should be held to determine the candidate.
“Following your decision to uphold your local government candidature for Ward 28, Cowdray Park by-election after having lost the Party’s primary election to Mr. Collet Ndlovu on 28 February 2019, you have automatically expelled yourself from the Party,” wrote MDCA National Chairman, Hon Thabitha Khumalo.
“I write to notify you that your behaviour is in breach of clause 2.1 (a),(b), (i) and (k) of Annexure C of the Party Constitution. Accordingly, you are therefore hereby expelled from the Party with immediate effect,” reads the letter.
The expulsion letter goes on to say that, “… Collet Ndlovu is the official and sole candidate and representative of the MDC-Alliance in the Ward 28 by-election due 30 March ….”
Hon Khumalo emphasized that “Collet Ndlovu is the only authentic candidate for MDC-Alliance Ward 28 in Cowdray Park constituency.” This is the party position “notwithstanding the communication from the primary election presiding officers about the official party position regarding the need for the candidate who loses the primary election to withdraw nomination as the sole MDC Alliance candidate from ZEC and pave way for the successful candidate to be the sole representative of the Party in the by-election.”
What seemingly irked Hon Khumalo is the allegation that Nomagugu continues “to campaign as a candidate … in contravention of the Party’s official position.”
Nomagugu, whose phone was switched off when the media sought to get a comment, has also been ordered to surrender all Party property and to stop using anything to do with MDC Alliance logo, picture, structures, persons, colours and names of the President in your posters and campaign materials.
On the one hand, during the campaigns for candidature, Nomagugu received support from former supporters of Thokozani Khupe who remained within the MDCA. She also got support from MDCA members who were once attached to Professor Welshman Ncube’s “MDC” party. Collet on the other hand got support from MDCA President, Nelson Chamisa’s staunch backers within the alliance.