Zanu PF takes back Mutasa South seat

Harare (New Ziana) – Results of Saturday’s Parliamentary and Local Authority by-elections have started trickling in, with the ruling Zanu PF party making inroads in some opposition strongholds, for example, winning the Mutasa South constituency which was won by the opposition in 2018.

According to results declared by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec), Misheck Mugadza of Zanu PF polled 5818 to beat the former incumbent Regai Tsunga who received 5296 votes, in a huge statement ahead of the 2023 general elections.

Zanu PF also retained the Murehwa South constituency which had been left vacant after the death of former Transport and Infrastructure Development Minister Joel Biggie Matiza.

Nyasha Masoka of Zanu PF trounced competitors including Citizen’s Coalition for Change candidate who polled a lowly 1 729 against Masoka’s 11 125to land the Murehwa South seat.

In Binga North, while the opposition retained the seat, it lost a lot of voters compared to 2018.

The CCC winning candidate polled 10160 down from 18 428 he garnered in 2018 while Zanu PF’s candidate polled 7 812 votes up from 7 751 in 2018.

In results declared so far for various local authority seats, Zanu PF won Gwanda ward 7, ward 5 Mutasa Rural District Council, Masvingo ward 4, Mberengwa ward 25, Bubi RDC wards 1 and 6 and Chikomba wards 10 and 11.

Zanu PF also won Chivi ward 8.

Although Zec was yet to declare the final results, indications were that Zanu PFs’ Zalerah Makari had also taken the Epworth seat from the opposition while Leah Chidamba had also won the Zengeza ward 10 seat.

Zec chief elections officer Utoile Silaigwana told a press conference at the end of voting on Saturday that the election had taken place smoothly.

“For this election, the results are declared at two points. There is a ward election, the ward election result is declared at the ward collation centre then the constituency results are also declared at the constituency results centre,” he said.
New Ziana