Chronicle Editor
George Maponga in Masvingo
ZANU-PF has maintained its dominance on the Masvingo political landscape after it bagged 23 National Assembly seats in August 23 harmonised elections in the province.
Twenty-five National Assembly seats were up for grabs this time, one less than in 2018, after ZEC postponed the Gutu West parliamentary race following the death of an independent aspiring parliamentarian for the constituency Mr Mutonho Mutonho in a road traffic accident.
The opposition increased constituencies under its belt from one (Masvingo Urban constituency) in 2018 to two this year after CCC party won both Chiredzi Central and Masvingo Urban.
While some of the constituencies had their boundaries altered because of the delimitation exercise, others (i.e Zaka East, Gutu North and Zaka West) were completely collapsed and some new constituencies (namely Zaka South, Mwenezi North and Chiredzi Central) were born resulting in the presence maintaining 26 National Assembly constituencies.
In Bikita District Zanu-PF generally maintained its support base from 2018 after the party’s candidate in Bikita South Cde Energy Mutodi helped the party retain Bikita South constituency with 11396 votes compared to 10 559 won in the 2018 election by the party’s candidate Cde Josiah Sithole who won 10 559 votes.
Zanu-PF’s National Assembly candidate in Bikita East, Cde Court Zevezayi won the seat after garnering 9 080 votes and the opposition CCC candidate Mr Bonface Mudzingwa managed 7 544 votes which was a drop from the 8542 that he attained in 2018 when contested against Cde Johnson Madhuku who stood on a Zanu PF.
Zanu-PF also romped to victory in Chiredzi and Mwenezi districts after its candidate won resoundingly in the eight constituencies in the two districts.
Bongani Ndlovu