BY WANDILE TSHUMA
ZANU-PF secured all three contested wards in the Tsholotsho Rural District Council by-elections held on Saturday, according to results released by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).
The ruling party won Wards 1, 10 and 21, defeating independent and opposition candidates in the polls.
Ward 1
ZANU-PF candidate Lindiwe Mkwananzi was declared the winner after polling 471 votes, ahead of independent candidate Solani Mlilo, who received 251 votes.
The ward recorded a voter turnout of 45.4 percent, with seven rejected ballot papers.
Ward 10
In Ward 10, Simbisai Ndlovu of ZANU-PF won with 802 votes.
ZAPU candidate Washington Ncube garnered 183 votes, while independent candidate Ntando Siziba received 67 votes.
Voter turnout in the ward stood at 37.7 percent.
Ward 21
ZANU-PF’s Phillip Mvundla emerged victorious in Ward 21 with 512 votes, defeating independent candidate Marx Sibanda, who polled 236 votes.
The ward recorded a voter turnout of 41.1 percent.
Voting Process
The by-elections were conducted at 25 polling stations across the three wards, with voting taking place between 7am and 7pm.
Throughout the day, ZEC reported steady voter turnout at several polling stations, including St Mary’s Primary School in Ward 1 and Nemane Primary School in Ward 10.
Deputy Chief Elections Officer Administration C Ngandini was among electoral officials who monitored the voting process on the ground.
The by-elections were held to fill vacant council seats in Tsholotsho Rural District Council.