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ZANU-PF wins two thirds majority
The Sunday Mail (Zimbabwe)
April 03, 2005

http://www.sundaymail.co.zw/index.php?id=10880&pubdate=2005-04-03

The ruling ZANU-PF party has won its targetted two-thirds parliamentary majority in Zimbabwe’s 150-seat legislature after capturing 78 seats against the main opposition MDC’s 41 in the just-ended parliamentary elections. ZANU-PF trounced the opposition, meaning that it will surpass the two-thirds mark (which is 100 seats) by eight seats when President Mugabe appoints the 30 non-constituency Members of Parliament. The ruling party won a comfortable 65 percent of the contested seats while the MDC got slightly over 34 percent.

In the last five constituencies’ results released yesterday evening, Zanu-PF made a clean sweep in all the four Gokwe constituencies in the Midlands province while the MDC retained its grip on the Binga seat. The poll has already been endorsed by international observers as peaceful and having been in compliance with the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections.

ZANU-PF made inroads into what have been traditional MDC strongholds, particularly in the urban areas while the MDC lost a significant number of seats it previously held. ZANU-PF’s maintained its traditional strong showing in its rural strongholds. The ruling party sprang a surprise when its candidate and sitting city of Harare councilor Cde Hubert Nyanhongo won the Harare South constituency in metropolitan Harare, an MDCs stronghold. This feat was repeated in Chegutu and Chinhoyi towns although these are mixed seats, meaning they have both the rural and urban components.

Other notable inroads made by ZANU-PF in the opposition’s territory have been in Bubi-Umguza in Matabeleland North, where Cde Obert Mpofu polled 15 158 votes against sitting MDC’s MP Thabane Jacob’s 9 502. In Matabeleland South Zanu-PF’s Cde Abedinico Ncube won the Gwanda constituency that was being also contested by MDC spokesman Mr Paul Themba Nyathi, while the ruling party lost the Lupane seat in Matabeleland North to the opposition.

The party remarkably recovered the rural seats it had lost in Manicaland. Cde Samuel Undenge surprised all and sundry when he wrestled the Chimanimani constituency from the MDC, whose candidate Mrs Eileen Heather Bennett failed in her bid to replace her husband Roy, the jailed former Member of Parliament for the constituency. ZANU-PF also reclaimed the Nyanga and Mutare South seats from the MDC while it won the new Mutasa North and Mutasa South constituencies.

The biggest surprise came from Chipinge South where for the first time since independence the people of the constituency, who had always voted for ZANU, this time voted for ZANU-PF candidate Cde Enock Porusingazi, dumping Mr Wilson Kumbula, the outgoing MP who represented ZANU. Cde Josphat Madubeko of ZANU-PF snatched the Gweru Rural seat from MDC shadow minister of agriculture Mr Renson Gasela. Four seats in the Midlands province went to the opposition while 12 seats are now under ZANU-PF control.

Besides the MDC retaining its stranglehold in cities like Harare, Bulawayo, Masvingo, Gweru, Mutare and Kwekwe, it managed to remain a major force in rural Matabeleland, although it did lose significant ground there. Outside the two western provinces, it did not win a non-urban seat. ZANU-PF made a clean sweep in Mashonaland Central where Cde Nicholas Goche polled 29 287 against MDC’s 4 848 in Shamva and in Mashonaland East where its candidate for Uzumba-Pfungwe-Maramba constituency, Cde Kenneth Mutiwekuziva, polled 31 357 against MDC Stewart Pairemanzi’s 3 289.

The ruling party almost cleaned out Masvingo province. The Masvingo Central seat is the only one that was lost to the MDC whose candidate, Mr Tongai Matutu, beat Cde Shylet Uyoyo of ZANU-PF, albeit by a margin of just 195 votes.

Although ZANU-PF had fielded 31 women candidates in fulfilment of its one-third women representation policy, several of these were defeated by other MDC candidates and in some cases by women too. In Glen Norah constituency sitting MDC MP Mrs Priscilla Misihairambwi-Mushonga contested and won against ZANU-PF’s Cde Victoria Chitepo. But the policy has paid dividends as ZANU-PF now has 13 elected female MPs, an improvement from the last parliament’s six while the opposition has seven seats that are held by women.

The ruling party’s Women’s League secretary, Cde Oppah Muchinguri, will be returning to Parliament after a five-year absence following her defeat by MDC’s Mrs Evelyn Masaiti in 2000. Other ZANU-PF newcomers in Parliament include Cdes Celine Pote (Chiredzi North), Acqalinah Katsande (Mudzi West), Mabel Mawere (Zaka West), Enita Ziriri (Chivi North), Cecilia Dausi (Hurungwe West), and Esther Nyauchi in Gokwe Sengwa. Vice-President Joyce Mujuru, Cde Shuvai Mahofa, Cde Olivia Muchena and Cde Flora Bhuka bounced back into Parliament. The MDC lost some female MPs. Ms Hilda Suka-Mafudze who was MDC MP for Mhondoro in the last Parliament, this time contested and lost to Zanu-PF’s Cde Patrick Zhuwao in Manyame. Ms Evelyn Masaiti lost in Mutasa North to Zanu-PF’s Cde Mike Nyambuya.

Although the combined number of women MPs for both parties is nowhere near the adopted African Union protocol of one-third women representation, the figure of 19 women in Parliament will make them more visible both in the House and hopefully in national debates. Parliament will also have a number of new faces. New ZANU-PF MPs include Cde Porusingazi, Cde Bright Matonga (Ngezi), Sylvester Nguni (Mhondoro), Cde Zhuwao, Cde Leo Mugabe (Makonde), Cde Undenge, Cde Faber Chidarikire (Chinhoyi), Cde Nyanhongo, Cde Celine Pote and Cde Nyambuya.

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