The Sunday News
THE ZANU-PF Bulawayo Provincial Coordinating Committee (PCC) will meet today at the party’s provincial headquarters, Davies Hall, to come up with the final list of candidates who will take part in primary elections slated for later this week.
Interim chairperson for Bulawayo province Alderman Dennis Ndlovu told Sunday News yesterday that preparations for the primary elections were going on well and the party was geared to successfully hold its primaries.
Yesterday Zanu-PF held primaries in nine National Assembly constituencies, in Harare, Manicaland and Midlands provinces, ahead of the 14 by-elections to be held on 10 June.
Zanu-PF’s national secretary for the commissariat Cde Saviour Kasukuwere on Friday announced that primaries for the five vacant constituencies in Bulawayo would be held later this week.
The five vacant constituencies in Bulawayo are Mpopoma, Lobengula, Pumula, Makokoba and Luveve.
In Harare primaries were held in six constituencies namely Highfield West, Glen View South, Kuwadzana, Kambuzuma, Dzivarasekwa and Harare East, while other polls were held in Manicaland’s Dangamvura-Chikanga constituency and in the Midlands province’s Kwekwe-Mbizo constituency.
The by-elections were caused by the recall of 21 MDC legislators who defected to the Renewal Team last month. MDC-T will fill the other seven seats which it won on proportional representation in the July 2013 harmonised elections.
“Preparations for primaries are going on well and we are going to have a provincial coordinating meeting tomorrow at Davies Hall to finalise on the list as well as iron out one little problem.
“We have already shortlisted the candidates and tomorrow’s meeting will be to come up with the final list,” he said.
Last week the party’s provincial leadership disqualified some aspiring candidates for the primary elections, in defiance of a directive by Cde Kasukuwere to give every aspiring candidate a chance to contest.
The Central Committee and Politburo members in the province resolved to disqualify party members who had submitted their names after the vetting process which was done on 29 March.
A total of 32 party members in Bulawayo had expressed interest in contesting in the primary elections for the five constituencies and the number of those disqualified could not be immediately established.
Politburo member Dr Sikhanyiso Ndlovu pulled out of the party’s primary elections for the Mpopoma-Pelandaba constituency, while Central Committee member, Cde Mpehlabayo Malinga, also withdrew his candidature for Makokoba.
President Robert Mugabe proclaimed 16 April as the date for the sitting of the nomination court for the June 10 by-elections.
Meanwhile, Central Committee member Cde Esau Mupfumi secured the ticket in the Dangamvura-Chikanga race, while results for the other eight were not ready at the time of writing as polling extended well into the night.
There were isolated skirmishes in Harare East and Dzivarasekwa over alleged polling irregularities.
Most polling stations in Harare opened around noon, with polling officers attributing the delay to a Zanu-PF strategic planning meeting.
A presiding officer in Kambuzuma, Cde Lucky Masamvu, said: “We have asked for forgiveness from the electorate. We were supposed to have closed doors at 4pm but we will no longer do so and we have reassured the electorate that we will only close the doors after we have served the last voter.”
In Harare East and Dzivarasekwa, police and party security officers had to quell skirmishes.
The Harare East candidates were Cdes Mavis Gumbo, Terrence Mukupe, Chris Chuchu, Justice Zvandasara, Margaret Sithole, Milton Chaniwa and Stalin Mau Mau. Those for Dzivarasekwa were Cdes Omega Hungwe, Never Kowo, Francis Chanduru, William Muhipe, George Chimhinhi and Tichaona Kapfunde.
At Chikurubi Support Unit polling station, 106 people had voted within two hours of the polling station opening.
In Highfield West, Cdes Emmanuel Juta, Psychology Maziwisa, Alexander Matafi, Regis Muguva and Norbet Chikumba squared off; while Cdes Tinashe Maduza, Samuel Chinyowa, Samuel Mvurume and Oliver Chidau contested in Kambuzuma.
Kambuzuma chief presiding officer Cde Patrick Zhuwao hailed Zanu-PF’s commitment to democracy by holding primary elections.
In Glen View South, Cde Chen Chimutengwende — who supervised polling — said despite a few hiccups, voting progressed smoothly.
In Dangamvura-Chikanga Cde Mupfumi garnered 1 110 votes ahead of Cde Binali Yard’s 745, Cde Micah Duru’s 586, Cde Kenneth Muchina’s 522 and Cde Future Pariyani’s 67.
Zanu-PF Politburo member Cde Joram Gumbo, who was the returning officer, said: “The party has been the winner because we conducted the election in a mature and democratic manner. Let us now look forward to the June 10 election with the aim of getting the seat for the party.”
