Sikhanyiso Ndlovu pulls out of Mpopoma-Pelandaba elections

ZANU-PF Politburo member, Sikhanyiso Ndlovu has withdrawn from the party's primary election for Mpopoma-Pelandaba set for Saturday.

In his withdrawal letter addressed to Dennis Ndlovu, the acting Bulawayo provincial chairperson, the Politburo member said he would only support candidates taking part in the elections.

"As stated in the provincial electoral college, this is to confirm that I will not stand in the primaries. This is in the interest of party unity in Bulawayo. As an elder and one of the founding fathers of Zimbabwe's nationalism and liberation struggle with our Father of Zimbabwe, the late Dr Joshua Nkomo and President Robert Mugabe, I would like to assist all candidates of our revolutionary party and to heal the wounds which usually come after the primary elections," said Ndlovu.

His withdrawal brings to two the number of candidates that have withdrawn their participation in the primaries after Central Committee member, Mpehlayabo Malinga also took the same route.

Malinga said he was not taking part in the Makokoba constituency primary poll saying the Youth League had submitted his CV while he was away in Kenya.

The forthcoming party primary elections in Bulawayo have been thrown into controversy after Zanu-PF Politburo and Central Committee members from Bulawayo Province on Monday disqualified some aspiring candidates for the party's primary elections.

By Friday last week, 32 party members in Bulawayo had expressed interest in contesting in the party's primary elections in the five constituencies, but some have since been disqualified.

The number of candidates who were disqualified could not be established immediately.

Party's officials defied the national secretary for the commissariat Saviour Kasukuwere's directive to give every aspiring candidate a chance to contest.

Bulawayo will hold primary elections this Saturday in the five constituencies where by-elections will be held.

The constituencies, namely Mpopoma-Pelandaba, Lobengula, Pumula, Makokoba and Luveve fell vacant following the expulsion from Parliament of MDC-T MPs who defected to form the MDC Renewal.

President Mugabe has since proclaimed April, 16, as the date for the sitting of the Nomination Court and June 10 as the date for the by-elections.