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Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Correspondent
ZANU-PF Bulawayo Province yesterday said it will field its 2018 harmonised election losing candidate in the by-election for the Ward 28 councillor post while the MDC Alliance is yet to come up with a candidate.
The councillor position for Ward 28 fell vacant last year in December following the death of MDC Alliance councillor Hapson Ncube.
The country’s main political parties have since started ground work to identify candidates to contest the vacant position.
Yesterday, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) announced the date for the sitting of the Nomination Court for the vacant position as it prepares aspiring candidates for the election.
In a statement, Zec said the Nomination Court for aspiring candidates will sit on February 22 instead of January 25 as it had earlier indicated.
Zanu-PF Bulawayo secretary for administration Cde Elifasi Mashaba said the party would field Cde Kidwell Mujuru, who contested the same position during the harmonised election.
“We have a shadow councillor there in (Ward 28) who was the last councillor to stand in the election. So there are no primaries. The one who was standing to become a councillor last time is the one who is going to contest,” said Cde Mashaba.
He said as the city prepares for Ward 28 by-election, residents should conduct a stock-take on what the MDC Alliance councillors have done for them.
“They should interrogate what they have benefitted from the people they voted in the last six months. As far as I am concerned there is nothing. We have a candidate who is ready to work for the people of Cowdray Park,” he said.
MDC Alliance spokesperson in Bulawayo Mr Edwin Ndlovu said the party is yet to select a candidate to replace Ncube.
He however, said they have called for the party’s aspiring candidates to submit their applications before they select their preferred candidate.
“We have set a Monday deadline for those intending to represent the party to submit their applications. After the deadline lapses we will then start processing the applications,” Mr Ndlovu said.
In December during Ncube’s burial, MDC Alliance Youth Assembly members demanded that the party field another youth member to contest to be councillor for Ward 28.
Mr Ndlovu, however, poured cold water on the demands made by the youths.
“It’s good to hear that the youths have their expectations. But if they want one of their own to contest they should groom their candidate and ensure that s/he has proper qualifications to represent the party.
“Our expectation is to have a respected candidate who is known in the Ward and is of good social standing in the community,” he said. – @nqotshili
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