Gibson Mhaka [email protected]
NEWLY-ELECTED Bulawayo City Council (BCC) Ward 1 Councillor Mathias Tichaona Tsikira was on Wednesday sworn into office following his victory in the recently held by-election.
Cllr Tsikira, who contested the poll as a Zanu-PF candidate, took his oath of loyalty to the Government and the local authority during a ceremony held at the council chambers.
The ceremony was attended by fellow councillors, heads of council departments, relatives and friends of the newly-elected councillor.
BCC town clerk Mr Christopher Dube presided over the swearing-in ceremony, while council chamber secretary Mrs Sikhangele Zhou assisted during the proceedings.
The councillor was sworn in in accordance with Section 47(3) of the Urban Councils Act (Chapter 29:15), which stipulates that before assuming their duties, councillors must take and subscribe to the prescribed oath of loyalty and office before the town clerk.
Cllr Tsikira won the Ward 1 by-election after polling 1 590 votes, according to the official results announced by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).
He defeated independent candidate Shepherd Sithole, who received 112 votes, while Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) candidate Mduduzi Sibanda polled 74 votes.
His election fills the Ward 1 council seat, giving him a mandate to represent residents in council deliberations and contribute to the local authority’s service delivery programmes.
The swearing-in marks the beginning of Cllr Tsikira’s formal duties as a councillor, with residents expecting their elected representative to engage with community concerns and work with the local authority to address service delivery challenges.
