From George Maponga in Masvingo
MDC-T was last weekend forced to abandon meetings called to choose candidates who will stand for council elections in Masvingo City after members from rival factions openly clashed, plunging the whole process into chaos across five wards in the country’s oldest town.

There was pandemonium at the venues of all the meetings as emotions boiled over as the council elections have a bearing on who will represent the party in the forthcoming elections.

There is belief in the party that whoever controls the majority of the 10 MDC-T council election candidates in Masvingo Urban will be in good stead to win MDC-T primary election in the constituency.

MDC-T has split into two distinct camps in support in of former legislator and lawyer Mr Tongai Matutu and businessman and party national executive member Mr Takanayi Mureyi, who are both eyeing the Masvingo Urban seat.

Both have, however, been coy about their interest in the Masvingo Urban seat.

The two are fighting for control of the heart and soul of the MDC-T structures in Masvingo Urban ahead of primary elections to choose the opposition parliamentary candidate in the constituency.

The MDC-T has not yet announced dates for holding primary elections to choose both council and parliamentary candidates for the coming elections.

However, the party had reportedly sanctioned the holding of meetings at various centres across five wards in Masvingo Urban to choose council election candidates by consensus.

Infighting by members belonging to the two feuding camps openly played out as all the meetings were marred by chaos as party members traded insults with the situation threatening to degenerate into open fighting.

The meetings were eventually abandoned without any meaningful agreement amid reports that the MDC-T Masvingo District leadership was investigating circumstances surrounding the chaos at the party “consensus’’ meetings.

MDC-T Masvingo district chairperson Mr Muranganwa Chanyau could not be drawn into revealing circumstances surrounding the disturbances that rocked his party’s meetings.

He confirmed the meetings had been called to choose candidates who were supposed to represent the MDC-T in Masvingo Urban council elections by consensus.

“I was out of town when the meetings took place and I am still to receive reports of what actually transpired, but once I receive full reports of what happened at the meetings in question then we will see what course of action to take,’’ he said.

Mr Chanyau said his party will decide the next step to take after the failure to choose candidates by consensus in Masvingo Urban.

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