Fredrick Moyo
Battle lines have been drawn in ward 4 as the nation heads towards the much awaited by-elections set for March 26. Four candidates were successfully nominated and Citizen Coalition for Change (CCC) fielded double candidates.
ZANU PF will be represented by Richard Madyavanhu, MDC-Alliance by Charles Ziki while CCC fielded Aleck Tabe and Thokozile Muchuchuti after they failed to resolve the double candidate impasse.
Richard Madyavanhu – ZANU PF
Madyavanhu said that he is a resident of ward 4 and knows all the challenges that residents in the ward are facing and he is willing to fix the problems when elected in the upcoming March 26 by-elections.
“I am a resident of ward 4 Masvingo Urban, born in Masvingo and really know the place very well and people in the ward because I interact with them,” said Madyavanhu.
He added that he is an ideal candidate because ward 4 people trusted him to represent them in council when they elected him during primary elections.
“I am an ideal and best candidate because people selected me when we held primary elections. People selected me to be their representative because they have trust in me and I am so confident that I will win the by-elections,” added Madyavanhu.
He also said that he does not only promise ward 4 residents projects, but will fulfil what he would have said and currently have already started some projects.
“I am not only promising but there are projects that we have already started before we are in office. I know the challenges that are in my ward especially water shortages and currently we are drilling boreholes so that people find water close to their homes.
“For now we are fixing the water challenges that people are facing and some of the things we will fix them when elected as they want someone from the inside especially service delivery part,” said Madyavanhu.
He urged the electorate to open their eyes and select the rightful candidate as the opposition have been doing nothing in the ward for the past 20 years.
“I am kindly asking the electorate to open their eyes and see the rightful candidate. It has been 20 years now since the opposition has been in control, but the development that is there does not match the period. They have been in control and comparing with what I have done in a few weeks, it is much more than what they did so if they give me or ZANU PF a chance, we will deliver like what our forefathers did before,” said Madyavanhu.
Charles Ziki – Movement for Democratic Change Alliance (MDC-A)
Ziki said there are projects that he will fix if he is elected and willing to work with the council for the betterment of the ward.
“As a resident of ward 4, I made some researches and saw what needs to be done in the ward. The roads in ward 4 are in a bad state, residents want a maternity clinic in the ward and there are water challenges that are also affecting ward 4 residents, so I will drill boreholes with the assistance of council and solve all the challenges residents are facing in the ward.
“My message to the electorate is that they vote for me so that I solve their problems and they can also come with their challenges so that we work together in good faith,” said Ziki.
Aleck Tabe
CCC party favourite Tabe has been dodgy to this publication since nomination court day, which was influenced by the double candidature issue that saw Thokozile Muchuchuti also successfully filing her nomination papers on January 26.
Tabe has promised an interview with TellZim News on numerous occasions but always fails to turn up, giving excuses of having to attend court facing various charges emanating from his campaign in the ward.
Few weeks before nomination court on by-elections sat, Tabe was arrested together with other party members for allegedly holding an unauthorised meeting, which has been described as mere victimisation by state apparatus.
By virtue of being endorsed by party structures, Tabe has some leverage over other candidates, as the ward has been known to be a CCC, formerly MDC-Alliance stronghold.
Not much has been availed about his campaign strategy, but since he has support in both provincial and national party structures through endorsement by party president Nelson Chamisa himself, he has a fair chance of bagging the ward.
Thokozile Muchuchuti – Citizens Coalition for Change
Muchuchuti said she is a resident of ward 4 and she joined MDC now CCC in the year 2000 where she contested twice for a council seat and from 2000 held several positions like committee member for women’s league, secretary, and vice secretary for information and publicity for the district among other posts.
“I joined the party in 2000 while I was a committee member of the women’s league in the ward and through ward work, I was elected to be the ward organiser and also was vice secretary of information and publicity for the district.
“In the past years I contested for a council seat in 2013 were I was number two out of four candidates and again in 2018, I contested again and more than 24 people came with their CVs but after vetting, 11 candidates were selected and thus when I won the primary elections and I was told that the ward should be given to a youth member,” said Muchuchuti.
She added that if she is elected for ward 4 councillor she will fulfil residents needs and restore what the council had stopped to do a long time ago that is giving its stakeholders feedback.
“I want to tell ward 4 residents that I will be their representative and as a leader, I will restore things that council failed or stopped doing a long time ago that is giving residents feedback. I will also fulfil the needs of the people I am representing.
“One big thing I want to say is that I have two eyes and the ward is too big that I cannot see what is happening on each and every corner, so I have planned that each street will have a street giant who will oversee everything and be my eyes in the ward,” said Muchuchuti.
She also added that if she is elected, she will not select a person or discriminate anyone as people are the same.
“There is no person called ZANU PF, MDC or CCC, as a leader I told myself that every resident is my family member and if it comes that help is needed, I will help as a leader,” added Muchuchuti.
She left a message to the electorate that they should put their trust in her as she will do everything that they want and will work with the residents so as to improve the ward.
“The electorate should put all their trust in me and they know what Mai Muchuchuti want to do for them will be done and I will keep on working with them like what I did before,” said Muchuchuti.
