adminLloyd Gumbo Herald Reporter
ZANU-PF made major inroads into provinces that were previously perceived to be MDC-T strongholds in its march to a convincing victory in the just-ended harmonised elections. The revolutionary party juggernaut ravaged through provinces where MDC-T previously fared well in the 2008 harmonised elections including the Matabeleland provinces that have traditionally backed the MDC formations.
In Matabeleland South, Zanu-PF swept all the 13 National Assembly seats in the province. The revolutionary party only managed three seats in the province in the 2008 harmonised elections with seven going to MDC and two to the MDC-T.
Zanu-PF won 22 National Assembly seats in Manicaland while MDC-T only managed four this time.
In the 2008 harmonised elections the revolutionary party won only six seats in the province while the MDC-T garnered 20 seats.
In Masvingo, Zanu-PF garnered all the 26 seats on offer including Bikita West that went to Dr Munyaradzi Kereke who stood as an independent candidate but filed his name with the Nomination Court under the banner of Zanu-PF.
Zanu-PF got seven seats in Matabeleland North while the MDC-T managed six. In the last elections, the revolutionary party had four seats in the province while MDC-T had five, with the other three going to the MDC and the other one to an independent candidate then.
In Harare province, a traditional hub of MDC-T, Zanu-PF got six seats, improving from the one seat — Harare South — that the revolutionary party has exclusively made its constituency over the years.
This saw some MDC-T bigwigs falling by the wayside in the capital, among them Women’s Assembly chairperson Mrs Theresa Makone who lost in Harare North to Cde Tongesayi Mudambo while Mr Jameson Timba who worked in the outgoing Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s office lost Mt Pleasant to Cde Jaison Passade. In Mashonaland East province, Zanu-PF shut the MDC-T out of the province after garnering 22 of the 23 seats while the other one went to an independent candidate, Mr Jonathan Samukange who failed to qualify at the Zanu-PF primary elections.
In the last elections, Zanu-PF had 19 seats while the MDC-T had four.
Mashonaland Central also shut the MDC-T out of the province after sweeping all the 18 seats.
In the 2008 elections, the revolutionary party had 16 seats while the MDC-T had two. In Mashonaland West, Zanu-PF won 21 seats while MDC-T got one.
In the last elections, Zanu-PF had 16 seats while the MDC-T had six.
Zanu-PF won 25 seats in Midlands while the MDC-T got three.
In the 2008 elections, Zanu-PF had 20 seats while the MDC-T had seven.
While the revolutionary party did not win a single seat in Bulawayo, it made significant strides as it recorded increased figures from the 2008 harmonised elections.
In most of the twelve constituencies, the revolutionary party candidates recorded 100 percent increase from the 2008 figures.
For instance in Bulawayo Central in 2008, the Zanu-PF candidate, Cde Clement Ncube got 908 votes but this time around, party candidate, Cde Mlungisi Moyo got 2827 votes. In Bulawayo South, party candidate in 2008, Cde Jimmy Nleya got 483 votes but in the just-ended election, Cde Andy Dube got 1787.
Online Reporter