Online Reporter
Gibson Mhaka [email protected]
THE race for Bulawayo City Council’s Ward 1 by-election has effectively begun, with Zanu-PF selecting Cde Mathias Tsikira as its candidate for the October 3 poll, setting the stage for what is expected to be a closely watched contest in the city.
Cde Tsikira, who emerged victorious in the party’s primary elections, defeated three other contenders, Cde Gift Muhomba of Greens District, Cde Jonasi Chiro of Nehanda District and Cde Raymond Makonese, to secure the right to represent the ruling party in the by-election.
His victory does more than conclude Zanu-PF’s internal selection process. It signals the start of a wider political contest for a ward whose strategic location in the city centre gives the October 3 election significance beyond the confines of Ward 1.
For Zanu-PF, the stakes are high.
The party enters the race buoyed by recent by-election successes, including a clean sweep in the Victoria Falls municipal by-elections held on August 1, where its candidates won Wards 9, 10 and 11. In Ward 9, Tapiwa Kwendu Sibanda secured 287 votes, while Thindolie Sibanda won Ward 10 with 291 votes and George Mhlanga polled a commanding 736 votes in Ward 11.
The victories followed Zanu-PF’s success in the Tsholotsho by-elections, where the ruling party also won all three contested wards.
Taken together, the results provide the party with momentum as it heads into the Ward 1 contest.
Bulawayo, however, presents a different political landscape.
The city has traditionally been an opposition stronghold, making Zanu-PF’s efforts to increase its representation in the local authority a subject of keen political interest.
Winning Ward 1 would not only increase the party’s presence in council but would also strengthen its argument that it is steadily expanding its grassroots support in a city long regarded as opposition territory.
It is against this backdrop that Cde Tsikira’s candidature assumes added importance.
His selection through a competitive primary election gives the party an opportunity to mobilise its structures, reconnect with residents and present itself as a credible alternative in the governance of the city.
The contest, however, carries an unavoidable irony.
The Ward 1 seat fell vacant following the removal of former councillor Josiah Mutangi after an independent tribunal found him guilty of misconduct. Mutangi had previously been convicted of fraud after being found guilty of defrauding vendors by falsely promising to secure municipal vending bays for them.
His removal serves as a reminder that political parties cannot treat council positions merely as instruments of political representation.
Councillors are entrusted with representing residents, overseeing public resources and ensuring the delivery of essential services.
When that trust is abused, the damage extends beyond the individual office-bearer and inevitably affects the reputation of the sponsoring political party.
This is why Ward 1 presents Zanu-PF with both an opportunity and a responsibility.
The party cannot rely solely on recent electoral victories. It must demonstrate that its candidate understands the challenges confronting residents and is capable of providing accountable and responsive leadership.
Allegations and criminal proceedings involving some councillors in Bulawayo have already placed local government under intense scrutiny.
Recently, Bulawayo Mayor David Coltart acknowledged that criminal proceedings or convictions involving several councillors had significantly undermined public confidence in the council.
For voters, therefore, the October 3 election is likely to be about more than party affiliation.
It will be about credibility, accountability, service delivery and whether the next councillor can restore public confidence in local representation.
This presents an opening for Zanu-PF.
The ruling party has an opportunity to use the Ward 1 campaign to demonstrate what it believes local government under the Second Republic should represent: a local authority that is responsive to residents, accountable in its management of public resources and focused on development rather than political squabbles.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa has consistently placed development and service delivery at the centre of the Second Republic’s agenda, with the broader objective of transforming Zimbabwe into an upper-middle-income economy by 2030.
While Vision 2030 is a national development agenda, its success must ultimately be reflected at community level.
For ordinary residents, development is not measured by economic statistics alone.
It means reliable water supplies, passable roads, efficient waste collection, orderly vending facilities, functional public amenities and a council that responds to residents’ concerns.
That is where the Ward 1 contest could assume particular significance.
If Zanu-PF hopes to consolidate its gains in Bulawayo, it will need to convince voters that its representation in council can translate into tangible improvements in people’s daily lives.
The party’s recent victories provide a useful platform, but they also raise expectations.
The Victoria Falls results, in particular, highlighted both the strengths and limitations of the ruling party’s current electoral strategy.
Zanu-PF won all three wards, but the results also reflected the impact of a fragmented opposition vote.
That reality should not be overlooked.
Winning elections is important, but successful political organisations also analyse the circumstances and dynamics behind those victories.
In Ward 1, Zanu-PF can ill afford complacency.
The party must approach the election as a serious contest rather than assume that recent by-election victories will automatically translate into success.
Opposition and independent candidates are expected to enter the race and will almost certainly seek to exploit any weaknesses in the ruling party’s campaign.
They are also likely to focus on the challenges facing Bulawayo City Council and attempt to convert frustrations over service delivery into electoral support.
Zanu-PF, for its part, will have to engage voters directly.
Cde Tsikira’s victory in the primary election is only the beginning. The more demanding task now lies in building a campaign capable of persuading residents who do not necessarily vote along traditional party lines.
The October 3 election will also test the effectiveness of Zanu-PF’s structures in Bulawayo.
The ruling party has intensified mobilisation efforts in the city in recent years, seeking to deepen its grassroots presence and convert organisational capacity into electoral gains.
Ward 1 will provide another opportunity to assess whether that strategy is yielding results.
There is also a broader political message at stake.
A victory in Ward 1 would allow Zanu-PF to build on the momentum generated by its Tsholotsho and Victoria Falls successes and reinforce its argument that the political landscape is shifting, including in areas historically dominated by opposition parties.
For the Second Republic, this matters because local government is where national policy meets the citizen.
Government may invest in roads, infrastructure and economic reforms, but residents often judge governance through the performance of their local authorities.
That makes councillors important political actors in their own right.
Cde Tsikira will therefore be campaigning not merely for a council seat, but for the confidence of residents who want representation that delivers results.
The circumstances surrounding the Ward 1 vacancy have made accountability an unavoidable campaign issue.
Zanu-PF will have to demonstrate that the next chapter for Ward 1 will be different and that its candidate will place residents’ interests ahead of personal gain and political expediency.
That is the real test.
The party has momentum. It has organisational structures and the benefit of recent electoral victories.
Through the Second Republic’s development agenda, it also has a broader political narrative around which to build its campaign.
Yet none of these advantages can substitute for earning the trust of the Ward 1 electorate.
The October 3 poll will therefore be a contest of both parties and ideas, but also a measure of the quality of local leadership residents expect from those seeking public office.
For Zanu-PF, recent by-elections have demonstrated that victory is achievable.
The challenge in Ward 1 is to show that those successes can be translated into a sustained political presence grounded in accountability, development and service delivery.
Cde Tsikira now carries that responsibility.
The primary election may have been won within the party, but the real contest has only just begun.
And on October 3, Ward 1 residents will have the final say.
