THE opposition MDC-T holds its 17th anniversary celebrations on Saturday in Bulawayo, with officials saying the event will be low-key owing to the harsh economic climate
The celebrations will be held at White City Stadium under the theme MDC @17: Redefining the End Game.
MDC-T organising secretary Abednico Bhebhe told Southern Eye the harsh economic climate did not allow the holding of a “massive event”, hence a low-key ceremony.
“Unfortunately, the economic situation will not allow us to have big celebrations, but the event is on this Saturday, thanks to the party membership that continues to sacrifice the little they have to ensure party programmes are not disrupted,” he said.
“It is every party’s wish to hold massive celebrations, but we are hard hit by the economic situation that Zanu PF surprisingly and shockingly refuses or chooses to acknowledge.
“We are operating under a very tight budget owing to the destruction of the economy by Zanu PF.”
Bhebhe said MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai was expected at the anniversary celebrations where his new deputies Nelson Chamisa and Elias Mudzuri would also be unveiled.
However, Bulawayo, Matabeleland South and South Africa MDC-T branches were reportedly not happy with the appointment of Mudzuri and Chamisa as co-deputies.
They argued, the appointments were deliberately done to torpedo Thokozani Khupe’s chances of assuming the party presidency when Tsvangirai steps aside.
Tsvangirai comes to Bulawayo at a time provincial chairperson and deputy mayor Gift Banda and other councillors have been suspended from the local authority over corruption charges.
Banda last month said the party chose Bulawayo to host the anniversary celebrations as a “thank you” to the electorate for religiously voting for the MDC-T since its formation.
The MDC-T has won all seats in Bulawayo since its formation in 1999, except last year, when the opposition party boycotted by-elections protesting lack of electoral reforms.
The boycott resulted in Zanu PF winning five seats in Bulawayo.