Online Reporter
Gibson Mhaka
Zimpapers Politics Hub
THE nomination of 18 candidates to contest three Victoria Falls City Council wards has set the stage for what promises to be one of Matabeleland North’s most closely watched electoral contests this year.
While the August 1 by-elections are local authority polls confined to Wards 9, 10 and 11, their political significance extends well beyond the boundaries of Zimbabwe’s premier tourism destination.
They provide a critical litmus test for the province: can the unstoppable development momentum that propelled ZANU PF to a historic clean sweep in the recent Tsholotsho Rural District Council by-elections be replicated in an urban setting?
Unlike Tsholotsho, where the ruling party comfortably secured Wards 1, 10 and 21 through an undeniable connection with grassroots development, Victoria Falls has historically presented a more fragmented urban political landscape.
Eight independent candidates have entered the race alongside nominees from ZANU PF and ZAPU, reflecting the localised fallout and political realignments that followed the disruptive recalls of opposition councillors.
Yet, beneath the crowded ballot lies a much simpler, overarching reality that will dominate the campaign over the coming weeks: voters are tired of opposition-induced administrative chaos and the ruling party has systematically positioned itself as the only mature vehicle for structural and economic transformation.
Crucially, political analysts point out that this is not a campaign built on mere speculation.
Ever since the 2023 harmonised elections, ZANU PF has maintained a flawless, unbeaten record in nationwide by-elections, systematically dismantling opposition strongholds in both rural and urban locales.
The fact that the ruling party has not lost a single by-election post-2023 underscores a highly disciplined electoral machinery and a message that is increasingly resonating with an electorate hungry for stability and real progress.
For political observers, the Tsholotsho by-elections offer an instructive blueprint.
The ruling party’s convincing, resounding victory in all three Tsholotsho wards was a direct public endorsement of its development-focused, results-driven template.
By placing infrastructure restoration, rural industrialisation, clean water access and tangible service delivery at the very heart of the message, ZANU PF proved that the modern Zimbabwean voter values concrete progress over empty rhetoric.
Equally significant was the peaceful, exemplary manner in which those polls were conducted.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), participating parties, and independent monitors all commended the orderly nature of the Tsholotsho process, cementing a baseline of institutional stability that Victoria Falls is poised to follow.
Now, the resort city becomes the next battleground for continuity.
Although Victoria Falls is globally renowned as Zimbabwe’s tourism capital, the day-to-day realities for ordinary residents in Wards 9, 10 and 11 are no different from those in Tsholotsho.
Local voters want reliable clean water supplies, functional road networks, dignified housing, structured waste management, and sustainable youth employment.
Through elevating the province’s broader transformation agenda, the Second Republic has placed development firmly at the centre of the ballot box.
Over the past few years, Matabeleland North has transitioned from a region of potential to a hub of intense public investment.
Massive road rehabilitation works, the aggressive drilling of solarised boreholes, and ground-breaking dam construction projects have permanently altered water security across the province.
Combined with widespread rural electrification and modernised healthcare infrastructure, the visible trajectory under ZANU PF leaves little room for speculative politics.
In Victoria Falls itself, the fruits of policy continuity are self-evident. The city has undergone unprecedented tourism infrastructure expansion, boundary facility upgrades and airport modernisation that directly catalyse local job creation and international investor confidence.
Furthermore, the systematic implementation of devolution-funded projects at the provincial level has empowered local authorities to execute tailored community works that directly benefit the local populace.
Supporters of the ruling party rightly argue that for an economy as sensitive as tourism, Victoria Falls cannot afford the luxury of experimental or dysfunctional opposition leadership.
To protect its global status, the city requires seamless alignment between local governance and central government policies.
The primary lesson from the clean sweep in Tsholotsho Wards 1, 10 and 21 is that when communities reject political posturing and vote resoundingly for the ruling party, they unlock direct pipelines to national development.
Victoria Falls voters face an identical crossroad. The recalls that triggered these vacancies exposed the deep-seated vulnerabilities and internal instability of the opposition, offering a golden opportunity for urban voters to course-correct and demand accountable, competent leadership aligned with the national grid.
As the campaign enters its final stretch, the burden of proof rests on the candidates.
However, while independent and opposition nominees scramble to draft campaign promises, ZANU PF relies on an unbroken post-2023 winning streak and a record of tangible delivery.
In municipal finance management, refuse collection, and road maintenance, the electorate has become increasingly discerning—favouring structural solutions over recycled campaign slogans.
The orderly precedents set in recent provincial by-elections guarantee that Victoria Falls will witness a peaceful, transparent democratic exercise on August 1.
Ultimately, these three wards represent a choice between two distinct paths: local stagnation or national integration.
By emulating the political maturity demonstrated by the people of Tsholotsho, Victoria Falls has an opportunity to lock in its future, proving that the crusade for Vision 2030 and the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) is an all-inclusive provincial march.
