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| Turner Mhango |
Cephas Shava
MWENEZI – The National Constitutional Assembly (NCA) and the Free
Zimbabwe Congress (FZC) have communicated their intention to contest in the
upcoming Mwenezi East by-elections which they are confident of winning.
The parliamentary seat fell
vacant following the death of Joosbi Omar in September 2020, and all electoral
activities are currently suspended due to the spread of coronavirus.
NCA national spokesperson Maddock
Chivasa told TellZim News in a telephone interview that there party had a
‘well-prepared’ candidate who will fight it out in the by-elections.
“As NCA, we are more than
ready for the by-elections and in accordance with our party rules, our
automatic candidate is Welcome Masuku.
The young and energetic Masuku is
not a newcomer. He previously participated in the Mwenezi East by-elections and
managed to garner substantial votes. We are very confident that this time
around, the constituency will once again prove that the NCA’s has a ballooning
political power base in Masvingo province,” said Chivasa.
Meanwhile Masogwe Primary School
teacher, Turner Mhango of the FZC confirmed that his party was well-prepared
for the by-election.
He said he will once again be the
party’s candidate in the elections, having failed to win the seat on two
previous occasions.
“I am fully-confident that we
will walk away with the prize this time around. The people now understand that
our party stands for democracy and development. They want to see a new face of
Mwenezi East which the FCZ can bring,” said Mhango.
In the previous by-election which
was won by Omar in April 2017 by 18 790 votes, Mhango got a paltry 482 votes
while NCA’s Masuku got a measly 386.
Meanwhile, the Nelson Chamisa-led
MDC Alliance is yet to officially unveil its candidate but there are some names
that have begun to pop up on social media.
Interested candidates from opposition
parties will square off with the ruling Zanu PF candidate master Makope on a
date yet to be announced by Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) once the
Covid-19 induced restrictions get lifted.
Makope, a school head at Avhunga
Secondary School, recently won the Zanu PF primaries after defeating 12 party
rivals.
