Zimpapers Logo

Eric Knight

Senior Reporter
Former ZBC DJs, Eric Knight and Ezra Sibanda, who lost to Zanu-PF candidates in Mbare and Vungu parliamentary constituencies respectively, say they have no plans to go back to the United Kingdom, but revive their waning political fortunes.
Knight (MDC-T) lost to Cde Tendai Savanhu after garnering 10 932 votes against the Zanu-PF candidate’s 14 674. In Vungu, Sibanda lost to Cde Josphat Madubeko of Zanu-PF.

In an interview yesterday, Knight said he went to the UK to study and would not go back despite losing to Cde Savanhu.
“Zimbabwe is my home and I will not go back to stay in UK,” he said.

He said this was the beginning of his political career and was in the country to contribute in one way or another.
Sibanda said he would remain an MDC-T functionary despite his defeat.

“I am a party cadre and will remain in MDC. It doesn’t mean if we lost we are going to quit. I am here as a Zimbabwean and here to stay,” he said.

He claimed he came back to uplift his rural home and that was the reason why he had chosen to contest in Vungu.
“I came here to uplift my rural home and that is why I did not choose to contest in town. For the past 33 years nothing in terms of development has been done,” he said.

Sibanda alleged that people in the area were suffering since there was no water and no efforts were being made to drill boreholes.
He said in terms of development, Lower Gweru was lagging.

“I didn’t come here to fight with anyone, but to fight for the people,” he said. In February, a number of MDC-T members in the Diaspora submitted their curriculum vitaes and applications to contest the elections on the party ticket, angering sitting MPs and local aspiring candidates who felt abandoned.

MDC-T, however, challenged its legislators to accept the contest and prove their worth during primary elections.
The former ZBC Radio 2 (Radio Zimbabwe) DJs Knight and Sibanda were among the candidates eyeing seats on MDC-T ticket as well as journalists Grace Kwinjeh and Geoff Nyarota.

Knight and Sibanda, however, declined to talk about their thorny relations in the UK over financial matters.