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Zanu-PF members jostle for vacant Glen View South seat
4 hrs ago | Views
Intense jockeying has begun within Zanu-PF as party members position themselves for the vacant Glen View South parliamentary seat ahead of the upcoming by-election.
The seat fell vacant following the death of opposition lawmaker Grandmore Hakata earlier this year. President Emmerson Mnangagwa has set April 12 as the date for the by-election to fill the constituency's parliamentary position.
Hakata had won the seat in the August 2023 elections while he was in detention at Chikurubi Maximum Prison for holding an unsanctioned rally. His death has triggered renewed political activity, with several Zanu-PF hopefuls launching secret campaigns ahead of the party's primary elections.
Among the front-runners in the race to represent Zanu-PF are Harare provincial secretary for security Voyage Dambuza, Glen View shadow lawmaker Ophard Muchuwe, and Tsitsi Taomera. These candidates have been holding strategic meetings and mobilizing support within party structures.
"Several meetings have been held in Harare in preparation for the by-election to select the best candidate," a Zanu-PF insider revealed.
Zanu-PF Harare provincial chairperson Godwills Masimirembwa confirmed that a date for the party's primary elections had not yet been finalized.
"I'm in a meeting, but we are yet to come up with a date for the primary elections," he said yesterday.
Zanu-PF primary elections have previously been marred by allegations of vote rigging, intimidation, and vote-buying. Ahead of the 2023 general elections, the party was forced to order re-runs in some constituencies after complaints about irregularities, missing names from the voters' roll, and electoral processes conducted in darkness.
As of yesterday, it remained unclear whether opposition parties would contest in the by-election. Zanu-PF has dominated recent by-elections, particularly after a wave of recalls targeting opposition lawmakers.
The recalls were orchestrated by Sengezo Tshabangu, the self-proclaimed secretary-general of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), who took control of the party from its founding leader Nelson Chamisa. The move led to the removal of several opposition legislators, creating opportunities for Zanu-PF to increase its parliamentary seats.
With the stakes high and internal competition fierce, Zanu-PF's candidate selection process for Glen View South is expected to be closely watched as political tensions rise ahead of the by-election.
The seat fell vacant following the death of opposition lawmaker Grandmore Hakata earlier this year. President Emmerson Mnangagwa has set April 12 as the date for the by-election to fill the constituency's parliamentary position.
Hakata had won the seat in the August 2023 elections while he was in detention at Chikurubi Maximum Prison for holding an unsanctioned rally. His death has triggered renewed political activity, with several Zanu-PF hopefuls launching secret campaigns ahead of the party's primary elections.
Among the front-runners in the race to represent Zanu-PF are Harare provincial secretary for security Voyage Dambuza, Glen View shadow lawmaker Ophard Muchuwe, and Tsitsi Taomera. These candidates have been holding strategic meetings and mobilizing support within party structures.
"Several meetings have been held in Harare in preparation for the by-election to select the best candidate," a Zanu-PF insider revealed.
Zanu-PF Harare provincial chairperson Godwills Masimirembwa confirmed that a date for the party's primary elections had not yet been finalized.
"I'm in a meeting, but we are yet to come up with a date for the primary elections," he said yesterday.
Zanu-PF primary elections have previously been marred by allegations of vote rigging, intimidation, and vote-buying. Ahead of the 2023 general elections, the party was forced to order re-runs in some constituencies after complaints about irregularities, missing names from the voters' roll, and electoral processes conducted in darkness.
As of yesterday, it remained unclear whether opposition parties would contest in the by-election. Zanu-PF has dominated recent by-elections, particularly after a wave of recalls targeting opposition lawmakers.
The recalls were orchestrated by Sengezo Tshabangu, the self-proclaimed secretary-general of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), who took control of the party from its founding leader Nelson Chamisa. The move led to the removal of several opposition legislators, creating opportunities for Zanu-PF to increase its parliamentary seats.
With the stakes high and internal competition fierce, Zanu-PF's candidate selection process for Glen View South is expected to be closely watched as political tensions rise ahead of the by-election.
Source - newsday
