News / National
Tshabangu cries foul
12 Dec 2023 at 05:54hrs | Views
CITIZENS' Coalition for Change (CCC) party's interim secretary general Mr Sengezo Tshabangu has said his party was optimistic that it would retain all the seats in all the constituencies where it had fielded its candidates in the just-ended by-elections.
He blamed his rivals within the party for campaigning against the losing candidates.
Zanu-PF trounced the opposition in parliamentary by-elections held on Saturday, winning seven of the nine seats contested countrywide.
The CCC retained two parliamentary seats in Bulawayo with Mr Tendayi Nyathi winning the Mzilikazi-Mpopoma while Mr Charles Moyo won the Lobengula-Magwegwe constituency
Mr Nyathi got 1 632 votes while Zanu-PF's Dzingai Kamamba garnered 1 318 votes. Mr Moyo had 1 648 votes while the ruling party candidate, Wenziwe Dube got 1 318 votes.
In Cowdray Park, CCC candidate, Mr Vusumuzi Chirwa lost by 205 votes to Arthur Mujeyi of Zanu-PF where there were 572 spoilt papers while in Nketa, Mr Ambrose Sibindi, who was contesting against Albert Mavunga of Zanu-PF lost the contest by 111 votes and there were 324 spoilt votes.
In Bulawayo South, Mr James Sithole was 478 votes behind the winning candidate Raj Modi's total votes.
In Matebeleland North, CCC's Mr David Nyathi got 1 750 votes while the winning Zanu-PF candidate, Phathisiwe Machangu got 6 863 votes in the Lupane East by-election. In Binga North, Ms Judith Sibanda of CCC had 1 003 people voting for her, compared to 9 862 that voted for Zanu-PF's Muchimba Chineka.
In the local government by-elections in Bulawayo, the CCC beat Zanu-PF, winning six of the eight seats contested. The CCC also won a council seat in the Midlands Province.
Zanu-PF won two council seats in the Midlands, and another in Masvingo Province, to bring its tally to five of the 11 seats contested in the by-elections.
The by-elections were occasioned by the CCC's recall of its representatives from parliament, and councils, prompted by internal squabbles in the opposition party.
In an interview yesterday, Mr Tshabangu said despite some party members boycotting the polls at the instigation of calls by rivals within the party, they were encouraged by the performance of their candidates.
"We had hoped to get all the five available seats in Bulawayo, but we won two. This is no mean feat in the face of an active de-campaign strategy by some of our former members who resorted to deliberately spoiling the papers and abstinence as a solution," he said.
"This eventually led to Zanu-PF gaining an advantage. Nonetheless, we congratulate our candidates who did very well and lost by very small margins in testing circumstances."
Mr Tshabangu said the same vote spoiling and apathy, resulted in both CCC double candidates underperforming in the local authority elections.
"We are encouraged by our performance everywhere else and we know that better organisation of the party will see it rejuvenated to its former vibrancy," he said.
Mr Tshabangu said the party had already started preparations for an elective congress as part of the road to the 2028 national elections.
He however, did not say when and where the congress will be held.
He blamed his rivals within the party for campaigning against the losing candidates.
Zanu-PF trounced the opposition in parliamentary by-elections held on Saturday, winning seven of the nine seats contested countrywide.
The CCC retained two parliamentary seats in Bulawayo with Mr Tendayi Nyathi winning the Mzilikazi-Mpopoma while Mr Charles Moyo won the Lobengula-Magwegwe constituency
Mr Nyathi got 1 632 votes while Zanu-PF's Dzingai Kamamba garnered 1 318 votes. Mr Moyo had 1 648 votes while the ruling party candidate, Wenziwe Dube got 1 318 votes.
In Cowdray Park, CCC candidate, Mr Vusumuzi Chirwa lost by 205 votes to Arthur Mujeyi of Zanu-PF where there were 572 spoilt papers while in Nketa, Mr Ambrose Sibindi, who was contesting against Albert Mavunga of Zanu-PF lost the contest by 111 votes and there were 324 spoilt votes.
In Bulawayo South, Mr James Sithole was 478 votes behind the winning candidate Raj Modi's total votes.
In Matebeleland North, CCC's Mr David Nyathi got 1 750 votes while the winning Zanu-PF candidate, Phathisiwe Machangu got 6 863 votes in the Lupane East by-election. In Binga North, Ms Judith Sibanda of CCC had 1 003 people voting for her, compared to 9 862 that voted for Zanu-PF's Muchimba Chineka.
In the local government by-elections in Bulawayo, the CCC beat Zanu-PF, winning six of the eight seats contested. The CCC also won a council seat in the Midlands Province.
Zanu-PF won two council seats in the Midlands, and another in Masvingo Province, to bring its tally to five of the 11 seats contested in the by-elections.
The by-elections were occasioned by the CCC's recall of its representatives from parliament, and councils, prompted by internal squabbles in the opposition party.
In an interview yesterday, Mr Tshabangu said despite some party members boycotting the polls at the instigation of calls by rivals within the party, they were encouraged by the performance of their candidates.
"We had hoped to get all the five available seats in Bulawayo, but we won two. This is no mean feat in the face of an active de-campaign strategy by some of our former members who resorted to deliberately spoiling the papers and abstinence as a solution," he said.
"This eventually led to Zanu-PF gaining an advantage. Nonetheless, we congratulate our candidates who did very well and lost by very small margins in testing circumstances."
Mr Tshabangu said the same vote spoiling and apathy, resulted in both CCC double candidates underperforming in the local authority elections.
"We are encouraged by our performance everywhere else and we know that better organisation of the party will see it rejuvenated to its former vibrancy," he said.
Mr Tshabangu said the party had already started preparations for an elective congress as part of the road to the 2028 national elections.
He however, did not say when and where the congress will be held.
Source - The Chronicle
