The Sunday Mail
Sunday Mail Reporter
ZANU-PF’s Cde David Musabayana secured a crushing victory in Friday’s Wedza North by-election to retain the revolutionary party’s seat in the National Assembly.
Cde Musabayana polled 9 021 votes ahead of the NCA’s Mudzingwa Chikukwa (178), Transform Zimbabwe’s Tichaona Makara (140) and Nyarai Manhimhanzi’s 88 ballots.
Poll results were announced in the wee hours of Saturday at the constituency command centre at Wedza Rural District Council offices.
Speaking to The Sunday Mail soon after the results announcement, Cde Musabayana thanked the people of Wedza North for rallying behind Zanu-PF.
“This victory belongs to the people of Wedza North. I am humbled by the overwhelming support that they have given me and I promise to do my best. I promise to be a servant and a messenger for the people of Wedza North,” he said.
Zanu-PF spokesperson Ambassador Simon Khaya Moyo hailed the outcome saying: “I would like to congratulate the party and its candidate for convincingly winning the Wedza North by-election by over 9 000 votes. This is a very impressive result and I hope it will serve as an example to other constituencies where by-elections will be held. The opposition parties will be vanquished once and for all.”
The election was held without incident and voting was conducted at 41 polling stations.
The Wedza North seat fell vacant following the death of Cde Simon Musanhu, who was also Deputy Minister for Environment, Water and Climate in January this year.
Cde Musabayana’s victory is the third consecutive success by Zanu-PF candidates in by-elections after Cdes Auxillia Mnangagwa and Barnwell Seremwe won in Chirumanzu-Zibagwe and Mt Darwin West constituencies, respectively.
Other by-elections will take place in 16 constituencies on June 10. These will be in Harare East, Kambuzuma, Glen View South, Dzivarasekwa, Highfields and Kuwadzana in Harare; Lobengula, Mpopoma-Pelandaba, Pumula, Makokoba and Luveve in Bulawayo; Tsholotsho North in Matabeleland North, Mbizo in the Midlands, Headlands and Chikanga-Dangamvura in Manicaland; and Hurungwe West in Mashonaland West.
