MDC election campaign trail hits brickwall

By Tichaona Sibanda
20 October 2006

The MDC is facing massive logistical problems as a result of fuel shortages in the run-up to next weekend’s Kadoma mayoral and rural district council elections, a senior party official said Friday.

The party is also having to fight the authorities over what it says are ‘blatant attempts’ by Zanu (PF) to deny them the right to address their supporters.

Elias Mudzuri, the national organising secretary and the party’s chief of elections believes the shortage of fuel supplies at this critical time of electioneering was another of Zanu (PF)’s strategies to rig the poll. Despite the massive blow, the popular former mayor of the capital said the MDC would still challenge the regime during next week’s elections.

‘Just like when we were registering our candidates for the rural district council elections, there were so many new requirements from nowhere that prevented a good deal of our members from being nominated to stand for these elections. They always devise new means of blocking our progress but this instead toughens us,’ Mudzuri said.

He said they’ve only managed to secure fuel for party leader Morgan Tsvangirai and a few other top officials to embark on an exhausting week of actively campaigning in the rural areas. In Kadoma, a star rally scheduled to be addressed by Tsvangirai Saturday still hangs in the balance after police informed the mayoral candidate Jonas Ndenda that there had been a double booking of the stadium between themselves and a church group.

On Wednesday, the Tsvangirai led MDC filed an urgent application at the High Court against an order by a Marondera court to bar the party’s rallies in Seke rural district in Mashonaland East province. However, Tsvangirai will address 20 rallies in the next eight days at rural centres in Mutoko, Chimanimani, Mutare, Zvishavane, Gokwe, Silobela, Chivi, Shamva, Chiweshe, Mhondoro and Goromonzi.

Apart from mobilising the rural electorate to back anti-government protests which the MDC has promised, Tsvangirai will also talk about key election issues that affect them. These include food shortages, employment and the economy.