BULAWAYO - Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s says delays in conducting primary elections are due to infiltration by President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu PF.

A senior MDC official claimed Zanu PF had infiltrated the party and was causing confusion.

Speaking at a Bulawayo Agenda “Election Talk Show” held at the Large City Hall at the weekend, MDC deputy national organising secretary Abedinico Bhebhe said he had evidence that Zanu PF infiltrated his party therefore causing a delay in the primaries.

“This party (Zanu PF) is known for infiltration. Even during the liberation struggle they were good at that,” said Bhebhe.

“I have evidence as the deputy national organising secretary of the MDC that whenever there are fights between our members there is Zanu PF’s hand.

“So what we are doing right now is to chop this hand first and clean our party before we hold the primaries,” said Bhebhe.

Responding to Bhebhe’s claims, Zanu PF representative at the event Gabriel Chaibva dismissed the allegations. He said it had become a culture in the MDC to blame Zanu PF for its failures.

“I am disappointed that Bhebhe wants to talk as if we don’t know the kind of politics that goes on in the MDC.

“I was in that party before, and we are fully aware of the antics within the MDC.

“They always find blame with others, when in fact the matter is purely and squarely your organisational inefficiency and your ideological bankruptcy, which is why you find everyone shooting in all directions in that party. They have no direction,” said Chaibva.

“In Harare there was violence recently between their members and they blamed Zanu PF. In Chipinge and Mutare there was also violence and they blamed Zanu PF. They are unable to take responsibility for their shortcomings,” said Chaibva.

Zimbabwe is expected to hold watershed elections later this year to end the Sadc initiated government of “national unity” which has been running the country for the past four years.

The three political parties in government have started preparing to hold primary elections to choose candidates who will stand in the parliamentary, senatorial and council elections. - Pindai Dube