ZANU PF, long rejected by Bulawayo voters, yesterday reclaimed lost ground and bagged its sixth parliamentary seat in the city, following a resounding victory in the Nkulumane by-election.
BY Nqobile Bhebhe
Both Zanu PF and the opposition now have six seats each in Bulawayo.
Zanu PF’s Killian Sibanda garnered 2 161 votes, while Ngwalo Nyathi of the Renewal Democrats of Zimbabwe came a distant second with 680 votes and Sibusisiwe Mpofu of the Progressive Democrats of Zimbabwe had 397.
The seat fell vacant following the death of MDC-T’s Thamsanqa Mahlangu.
“Sibanda was declared the winner with 2 161. In terms of registered voters as of November, there were 13 331. In total, including the supplementary voters roll, there were 34 118 voters,” Zimbabwe Electoral Commission provincial elections officer, Innocent Ncube said.
In an interview with Southern Eye yesterday, Sibanda said he was prepared to work with the losing candidates.
“I am delighted with the victory. It was well-deserved and people have shown faith in Zanu PF.
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“However, I urged other candidates not to feel humiliated, it’s their victory too. I pledge to take advice and ideas from them to develop our constituency,” he said.
The MDCs and Zapu boycotted the by-election, citing lack of electoral reforms to guarantee free and fair voting.
The boycott strategy has allowed Zanu PF to grab six seats in Bulawayo.
Zanu PF had struggled to make inroads in Bulawayo, which had been dominated by the MDC since its formation in 1999.
Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe Election Support Network (Zesn) has expressed concern at the low voter turnout in the Nkulumane by-election.
“Zesn observer reports show that the turnout was generally low, with voters trickling in throughout the day. Most of those who turned out to vote were mostly women with a significantly low number of youths turning out to cast their votes. The low voter turnout for the Nkulumane by-election is consistent with trends during all the 2014 and 2015 by-elections,” Zesn said in a statement.
“These trends may be attributed to the fact that major opposition political parties have not participated in the by-elections and also the timing of this by-election, which coincides with the festive season, where people travels to different holiday destinations.”
