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Councillor Collet Ndlovu

Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Correspondent
BULAWAYO City Councillor, Collet Ndhlovu (MDC-T), has been arrested for political violence.

Clr Ndhlovu, who is the councillor for Ward 29 in Cowdray Park, was arrested on Monday.

Bulawayo police spokesperson Inspector Precious Simango said details about the arrest had not reached her office yesterday but MDC-T provincial chairman Mr Gift Banda yesterday confirmed the arrest.

He said party members should desist from violence.

Mr Banda said the MDC-T has structures where aggrieved candidates can report their cases.

“I can confirm that he has been arrested. Elections were being conducted by the national leadership. We are still to get a report of what transpired so we can’t pre-empt anything,” he said.

“What we are generally saying is that when you feel aggrieved, everyone knows the channel to be used to make appeals and express your unhappiness about certain conduct than to engage in violence. It’s so unfortunate.”

Mr Banda urged party members to learn to control their emotions.

“I know it’s a high stakes game where emotions can run high. But we urge people to control their emotions and allow due processes to take place. More so, this process is not being done by us as a province but the national leadership and the commissioner who is responsible for the elections,” he said.

Clr Ndhlovu is contesting against his stepson Mr Happison Ncube who also has his eyes on the local government seat.

Clr Ndhlovu could not be reached for comment on his mobile phone and it was also not clear yesterday if he would appear in court.

MDC-T primary elections that started on Friday have been marred by violence and alleged vote buying in some of the constituencies.

Last week, MDC-T deputy president Engineer Elias Mudzuri confirmed the chaos rocking the party’s process to select representatives ahead of the 2018 harmonised elections, alleging imposition of “rich strangers” at the expense of poor loyalists.

Posting on micro blogging site Twitter, Eng Mudzuri said the party was being cruel on itself by sacrificing long serving members.

@nqotshili