Zanu PF emerged victorious in the by-elections for Harare Ward 36 and Chinhoyi Ward 4, defeating opposition candidates on Saturday.
The by-election in Harare Ward 36 was prompted by the recall of former councillor Lovejoy Chitengu, who had won in the August 2023 harmonised elections but later switched to independent candidacy. Zanu PF’s candidate, Hilda Ruzani, secured victory with 1,202 votes, while Chitengu garnered 1,115 votes. Loveness Gomba, a former MDC Alliance councillor, received 289 votes.
In Chinhoyi Ward 4, Zanu PF’s Ignatius Zvigadza claimed a decisive win with 728 votes, surpassing independent candidate Archbord Muzanenhamo’s 675 votes and independent candidate Ignatius Blessed Chari’s 13 votes. The by-election followed the nullification of the August 2023 election results by Chinhoyi High Court judge, Justice Philda Muzofa, due to electoral law violations.
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Zvigadza, who had previously lost the election, argued in court that Muzanenhamo had violated electoral laws by distributing groceries to voters near the polling station, leading to the nullification of the initial results.
In another story, In the recent by-elections held last Saturday, the ruling Zanu PF party secured victory in all six contested seats, achieving a two-thirds majority and raising concerns about potential rounds of constitutional amendments.
The by-elections were triggered after lawmakers were recalled by Sengezo Tshabangu, the self-proclaimed interim secretary-general of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), who claimed they had ceased to be members of the party.
The constituencies where by-elections were held included Seke, Goromonzi South, Zvimba East, Pelandaba-Tshabalala, Chegutu West, and Mkoba. In Pelandaba-Tshabalala, Zanu PF’s Joseph Tshuma secured victory with 1,845 votes, followed by CCC’s Moreblessing Tembo with 464 votes, and Democratic Official Party’s Abraham Nkomo Yona with 156 votes….read in full
