Online Reporter
Peter Matika, [email protected]
THE Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has set October 3 as the date for the Bulawayo and Hwange local government by-elections to fill vacant council seats in Ward 1 of Bulawayo City Council and Ward 18 of Hwange Rural District Council.
The polls will give residents in the two wards an opportunity to elect councillors to represent them at a time when local authorities are under growing pressure to improve service delivery and accelerate development.
In a notice issued in terms of the Electoral Act [Chapter 2:13], ZEC chief elections officer Mr Simbarashe Tongayi confirmed the October 3 polling date.
The nomination courts will sit on September 2 from 10AM to 4PM to receive nomination papers from aspiring candidates.
For Bulawayo Ward 1, the nomination court will sit at the Office of the Town Clerk, while candidates contesting Ward 18 in Hwange will submit their papers at the offices of the Hwange Rural District Council chief executive officer.
The Bulawayo Ward 1 seat became vacant after the removal from office of Councillor Josiah Mutangi in July.
Mutangi was dismissed following an independent tribunal’s finding of misconduct.
His removal came after he was convicted of defrauding street vendors by falsely promising them municipal vending bays in the city centre.
The Ward 18 seat in Hwange, which covers Dete, became vacant following the death of councillor Stanley Torima in July.
The Bulawayo contest is expected to attract particular attention given Ward 1’s strategic position, covering parts of the city centre and surrounding areas.
The by-elections come as local authorities face increasing demands from residents to improve basic services, maintain infrastructure and accelerate development projects.
The filling of the two vacancies will restore representation in the affected wards and allow elected councillors to participate fully in council decision-making and community development programmes.
Under Zimbabwe’s constitutional and electoral framework, vacancies in local authorities are filled through by-elections after the ZEC receives formal notification and the necessary legal processes are completed.
