Zanu-PF eyes Bikita West

From George Maponga in BIKITA

Zanu-PF has expressed confidence of retaining the Bikita West parliamentary seat in the impending by-election. The seat fell vacant following the incarceration of Munyaradzi Kereke who was jailed for an effective 10 years for raping his niece.He had won the seat on a Zanu-PF ticket during the 2013 harmonised elections that saw the ruling party sweeping all the 26 National Assembly seats in Masvingo province. While dates for the by-election have not yet been proclaimed by President Mugabe, Zanu-PF has already elected businesswoman Cde Beauty Chabaya to represent it.

Cde Chabaya (41) defeated nine other Zanu-PF aspiring candidates after polling 1 423 votes in peaceful primary polls held in August.

Political temperatures are already on the rise in Bikita West where other political parties have not yet publicly declared their intention to contest in the forthcoming by-election. However, information gleaned in the constituency indicates that the opposition NCA wants to field its spokesperson Mr Madock Chivasa in the by-election. Mr Chivasa hails from Bikita West.

Another name being thrown into the fray is Mr Kudakwashe Gopo, the former Zanu-PF national youth league member who was expelled from the ruling party.He is now with the Joice Mujuru-led Zimbabwe People First.

While Mr Chivasa and Mr Gopo have not yet publicly announced plans to participate in the Bikita West by-election, Cde Chabaya is already on the ground campaigning to make sure the ruling party wins Bikita West. Cde Chabaya, who is the secretary for economic affairs in the Zanu-PF Masvingo provincial Women’s League, has been on the campaign trail ever since she won the primaries.

The politician, who is also the daughter to veteran Zanu-PF stalwart and long-time Women’s League provincial executive member Cde Cecilia Chabaya, has received overwhelming endorsement from ruling party veterans in the district and traditional leaders. Cde Chabaya has been meeting Zanu-PF ward and branch structures in the constituency, to prepare for the start of her official campaign once dates for the by-election are announced.

Save for Cde Elias Musakwa, the other eight candidates led by Cde Danny Makusha, who lost to Cde Chabaya in the primary elections, have been helping her to campaign ahead of the by-election. Speaking to The Herald after one of her campaign rallies in Bikita West, Cde Chabaya expressed confidence that she would help Zanu-PF retain the seat.

“We are working as a team with those that contested the Zanu-PF primary elections against me. I am very happy with the team spirit that is there and except for one or two colleagues, the rest are helping me to campaign,’’ she said.

“I must say that I am very confident of retaining this seat.

“There is no doubt about that. I will deliver this seat because I have full support and backing from the senior leadership of the party in the province,’’ added Cde Chabaya.

Cde Chabaya paid tribute to the three chiefs in the constituency, namely Mukanganwi, Marozva and Mazungunye for backing her.

“The reason why I accepted the invitation to contest in this by-election is because of the overwhelming support from the three chiefs in this area,’’ she said.

Cde Chabaya says besides her parents, her main inspiration was President Mugabe whose principled stand against imperialism had sent waves around the globe.

“President Mugabe is my major inspiration because he showed blacks that they can be masters of their own destiny. We now have black people who own companies in this country after President Mugabe opened doors for them. The majority of our people were empowered by the land reform programme and the drive to indigenise the economy — these things will always define President Mugabe’s legacy for ever,’’ she added.

Describing how she won the primary election, Cde Chabaya attributed her victory to the power of women.

“For far too long, Bikita West never had a female Member of Parliament so, when I indicated that I was ready to contest, I got a lot of support from women and it is this support, which I think will carry me all the way to parliament,’’ she said.

Cde Chabaya allayed fears that Bikita West would slip through Zanu-PF’s grip like what happened to Norton where a Zanu-PF candidate lost to Mr Temba Mliswa.

“What happened in Norton will never happen in Bikita West because this is a Zanu-PF stronghold and everyone is united to making sure that the ruling party maintains its dominance. “I am not scared of anyone in the coming by-election and I am humbled by the support that I am receiving from everyone including traditional leaders and senior Zanu-PF leaders in Masvingo,’’ she added.

Zanu-PF provincial chairman Cde Amasa Nhenjana, said the ruling party would retain the Bikita West seat. His sentiments were echoed by the provincial secretary for the commissariat Cde Jappy Jaboon.

“The people of Bikita West are waiting for the by-election so that they re-affirm their support for President Mugabe by voting for Cde Chabaya. Bikita district is a Zanu-PF stronghold and the people of Bikita will deliver the seat to Zanu-PF,’’ said Cde Jaboon.

Cde Chabaya has lined up a number of programmes in Bikita West where she has already donated textbooks, satchels and other stationary to schools in the constituency. Cde Chabaya was elected secretary for economic affairs in the Masvingo Zanu-PF Women’s League in 2013, a position she currently holds. A mother of two, she has business interests in Harare and at Nyika Growth Point.