Vote buying claims, apathy mar Nkulumane by-election

Voter turnout was notably low in yesterday's by-election for Bulawayo's Nkulumane constituency, with reports of massive apathy, particularly among the youth, amid allegations of vote-buying. The seat became vacant following the death of sitting legislator Desire Moyo in a car accident in October.

Nine candidates contested the seat, including the late MP's widow, Esther Zitha. Zanu-PF heavily mobilised its campaign machinery ahead of the election, with prominent figures such as Presidential Investment Advisor Paul Tungwarara, National Political Commissar Munyaradzi Machacha, and other ministers actively campaigning for the party's candidate, Freedom Murechu.

A survey conducted across 34 polling stations by The Standard revealed that senior citizens formed a significant portion of voters, many of whom arrived with crutches to receive assistance. Nkulumane constituency command officer, Sithembiso Khuphe, reported that by 4 PM, only 3 992 votes had been cast out of 22 883 registered voters, with 2 410 males and 1 582 females participating. A further 296 individuals were turned away for various reasons, including being absent from the official voters' roll or presenting invalid identification such as expired passports or defaced IDs.

Ward 22 presiding officer, Siphetheni Moyo, confirmed the low turnout, stating that some voters were disqualified for not appearing on the roll. Despite these challenges, voting proceeded peacefully across all polling stations, which opened at 7 AM. At Mabhukudwana Primary School polling station A, 50 voters had cast ballots by 10 AM, while Station B saw 55 voters by mid-morning. Several individuals were turned away at other stations due to invalid or missing identification.

Some voters and opposition candidates accused Zanu-PF of engaging in vote-buying, citing the drilling of boreholes during the election period as an inducement. Candidates included Zitha, Murechu, comedian Mothusi "Madlela" Ndlovu of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), Ethel Sibanda (MDC-T), Alson Moyo (EFF Zimbabwe), Vivian Siziba (ZAPU), Nompilo Ncube Malala (ZANC), and independents Rodney Donovan Jele and Fuzwayo of Ibhetshu LikaZulu.

For comparison, over 13 000 votes were cast in the parliamentary elections in 2023, with the late CCC MP receiving 9 880 votes and runner-up Murechu obtaining 2 402 votes. The markedly lower turnout in this by-election underscores ongoing voter disengagement and highlights challenges facing the constituency ahead of the final results.