There was shock last night when senior MDC-T officials in the province attended the celebration party of the expelled Mutare mayor Tatenda Nhambarare.
The party was held in Dangamvura.
The elected Mutare Mayor Nhambarare was expelled from the party by the National Council on 6 December 2013, and the party has since instructed officials that he be immediately removed from his position of mayor.
However this party stance has been rubbished by ZANU PF’s Local Government Minister Ignatius Chombo.
Yesterday Nhambarare hosted a lavish victory celebration party at his home in Dangamvura. The celebration was attended by senior MDC officials the Provincial Executive Secretary Misheck Kagurabadza, Giles Mutsekwa, Patrick Chitaka, Lynette Karenyi and David Chimhini , in what analysts say is a sign that all is not well in MDC-T.
Sources say these officials have all slammed the expulsion of the Mayor and said they are prepared to take Tsvangirai head on.
The Town Clerk Obert Muzawazi also attended the party and said Nhambarare would not leave office despite being expelled.
But when contacted Lynette Karenyi confirming that she did attend the function together with the rest said she only did so in her own capacity.
“I am related to Nhambarare everyone in Mutare knows that, you yourself should know,” she told our reporter without clarifying the nature of the relationship.
Another official who is the party’s provincial secretary, Misheck Kagurabadza also told ZimEye he attended the party.
“It was a civic gathering. I attended the party in my own personal capacity,” he said.
He added: “If Tatenda Nhambarare dies today, I am going to attend his funeral,” he said.
When asked about his position regarding the party’s directive to expel Nhambarare, Kagurabadza defensively said:
“I am not talking about that, this is not what I am about, we are talking about what happened yesterday,” (Watch this space for Mr Kagurabadza’s full statement.)