Scores of aspiring Members of Parliament, including popular comedian and musician, Mothusi Bashimane Ndlovu aka Madlela Skhobokhona, are said to be angling for the Nkulumane parliamentary seat left vacant following the death of Desire ‘Moyoxide’ Moyo.
Moyo, a celebrated poet, died when his car hit an elephant in Shangani along the Harare-Bulawayo highway on October 10.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has set December 20 as the date for the by-election and the nomination court to confirm the candidates will sit in Bulawayo on November 20 amid indications that a number of prominent people in the city have set their eyes on the seat.
It has since emerged that Madlela will most likely contest the seat on the ticket of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) led by Sengezo Tshabangu.
Tshabangu, who styles himself as the party’s secretary general, is a controversial figure often dismissed as a Zanu PF proxy, an allegation he denies.
Sources said Tshabangu and Kucaca Phulu accompanied the comedian to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission offices on Monday to register his candidacy.
When contacted for comment yesterday, Ndlovu denied the reports.
Sources said that his potential nomination has created internal party divisions.
- Scramble for Moyoxide’s seat
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Some CCC legislators had backed Moyoxide’s widow, Excellia Zitha, for the candidacy.
However, after her bid failed to gain sufficient party support, she decided to run as an independent candidate.
She could not be reached for comment yesterday.
“Stepping forward wasn’t something I planned,” Zitha was, however, quoted as saying by the online Matabeleland Pulse.
“But when my husband passed, I realised his dreams didn’t disappear with him... I felt a powerful conviction: if I didn’t step into safeguarding that vision, a lot of what he started could be lost.”
Moyoxide’s personal assistant, Khumbulani Malinga, is also eyeing the seat.
The secretary general of Ibhetshu LikaZulu, Mbuso Fuzwayo, has also declared his intention to run as an independent and has already rolled out his campaign.
Fuzwayo recently made headlines for a Constitutional Court application challenging an internal Zanu PF resolution to extend Mnangagwa’s term to 2030.
“The contest will be between me and Zanu PF; it will be progress against regression,” Fuzwayo said.
“My legislative focus will be around government integrity and accountability.”
Zanu PF is set to field its Bulawayo provincial youth chairperson, Freedom Murechu, who was uncontested in the party’s internal primary selection.
Archibold Chiponda, the Zanu PF Bulawayo provincial spokesperson, expressed confidence in Murechu, who has been serving as the party’s shadow MP for the constituency.
“After a call for expression of interest from Zanu PF Bulawayo province, this was the only submission,” he said.
“We cannot be undermined by elections; they can be won, they can be lost, but we hope he will win.
“He is our strong candidate.”
If nominated, Madlela would follow in the footsteps of other entertainers, like dancer Sandra Ndebele, who successfully transitioned into politics.
