Zanu PF wins five council wards after Tshabangu fails to field own candidates

Court embargo on CCC challengers from February ballot left Zanu PF candidates uncontested

Silver platter ... Zanu PF poll candidates have won seats previously belonging to CCC without a single ballot cast

HARARE – Zanu PF has automatically won five council seats in Harare, Chiredzi and Manyame RDC following the disqualification of Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) candidates by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) after a court order and failure by self-styled CCC interim secretary general Sengezo Tshabangu to field his own candidates in the given wards.

In a notice, ZEC Chief Elections Officer Utoile Silaigwana declared five Zanu PF candidates as winners for the wards.

“The public is hereby informed that following the High Court Order issued on the 19^th of January 2024 under Case number HCH197/24, the nomination of Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) party candidates specified in Schedule 1 below who had been nominated for elections in by-elections scheduled for the 3^rd of February 2024 has been set aside,” Silaigwana declared.

He went on to list the ousted CCC candidates as Musingashari Musingashari (Chiredzi Ward 6), Roger Chikonye (Chiredzi Ward 7), Samuel Gwenzi (Harare Municipality Ward 5), Ian Makone (Harare Ward 18) and Innocent Kuziva Haparari (Manyame RDC).

Silaigwana added, “Consequently, the public is hereby notified, in terms of section 125 (4)(a) of the Electoral Act (Chapter 2:13), that since only one candidate has been duly nominated for each of the specified vacant wards, the persons specified in Schedule 2 below have been duly elected as members of the local authorities with effect from 3 February 2024.”

Zanu PF councillors who have been declared winners of the respective council seats are Costen Mombe (Chiredzi Ward 6), Brighton Nyashadzashe Mahiya (Chiredzi Ward 7), Abdurrahman Sapa (Harare Ward 5), Rufaro Daniel Matsika (Harare Ward 18) and Simbarashe Ngarande (Manyame RDC).

Zimbabwe heads for parliamentary and council by-elections in different parts of the country February 3 after Tshabangu ordered recalls on dozens of representatives elected on a CCC ticket during national elections August last year.

Following their recalls, the ousted 23 CCC politicians defiantly filed for nomination under their party arguing they were genuinely under the Nelson Chamisa led party which gave them the mandate to seek election.

But Tshabangu went to the courts to file for their ejection from the ballot arguing they could not contest the poll under the same party that recalled them.

Commenting on the developments, Bulawayo mayor and veteran opposition politician David Coltart suggested Tshabangu was out to serve Zanu PF interests.

“Tshabangu did not field any candidates in these five wards and yet went to court to block the CCC candidates from running, meaning that all these wards now have Zanu PF councillors without a single ballot being cast. Any doubt whose interests he is he serving?” Coltart said.