Sandra Ndebele Eventually Elected Councillor: Benefactor of Zanu PF Tshabangu By-Elections
Zimbabwean musician Sandra Ndebele was elected as Councillor for Ward 20 in Bulawayo during the by-elections held on 9 December 2023. Ndebele, who represented ZANU PF, had previously lost to Simbarashe Dube of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) during the general elections in August 2023. In the by-election, Ndebele received 1,106 votes, defeating Dube who received 782 votes. Other candidates, Michael Gumede of CCC and Nomagugu Ndlovu of ZAPU, received 57 and 11 votes respectively.
In Masvingo, Shantiel Yeukai Chiwara, who had been elected as the City’s Mayor following the harmonised elections, lost in the by-election for Masvingo Ward 2. Benson Hwata of ZANU PF received 612 votes, defeating Chiwara of CCC who received 585 votes. Roki Kamuzonda of CCC and independent candidate Frank Chirairo both received 90 votes.
Donaldson Mabuto of CCC was declared the councillor for Ward 9 in Bulawayo.
Tinevimbo Maposa from the CCC party has been elected as the councillor for Ward 21 in Bulawayo. Maposa received 964 votes, while the other candidates, Godfrey Dube (Independent), Andrew Nyathi (CCC), and Mkaita Janet Tekere (ZANU PF), received 15, 74, and 400 votes respectively.
Some observers criticised the by-elections, describing them as sham elections. These by-elections were held to fill vacant positions after Sengezo Tshabangu, the self-proclaimed interim secretary general of CCC, recalled several CCC officials from Parliament and local governments, claiming that they no longer belonged to the party.
