Author: TSA Press

The
debate,
organised
by
the
Centre
for
Innovation
and
Technology
(CITE)
in
collaboration
with
the
Bulawayo
Progressive
Residents
Association
(BPRA),
Election
Resource
Centre
(ERC)
and
the
Nkulumane
Constituency
Development
Committee,
saw
some
residents
pressing
candidates
on
constitutional
accountability.

The
participants
were
eager
to
question
candidates
contesting
the
December
20
by-election
and
tension
peaked
when
an
attendee
directly
challenged
the
Zanu
PF
candidate
on
how
he
would
defend
the
constitution
while
his
party
advocated
for
extending
the
presidency
to
2030
and
potentially
postponing
the
2028
elections.

“Zanu
PF
is
pushing
for
the
2030
agenda
so
that
it
continues
in
power
yet
the
constitution
says
a
term
for
Parliament
and
office
bearers
should
be
for
five
years
but
Zanu
PF
wants
its
rule
to
go
on.
You
are
oppressing
us.
I
am
a
woman,
a
mother
and
want
to
be
heard.
Please
respect
and
follow
the
constitution,”
she
said,
lifting
her
copy
of
the
constitution.

“We
don’t
want
the
2030
agenda,
we
want
elections
in
2028.
This
is
my
bible.
It
is
my
constitution.
I
am
actually
shaking
with
anger
and
feeling
hurt.
I
am
a
human
right
defender;
let
me
defend
the
constitution.”

In
response,
Murechu
framed
the
controversial
push
as
an
internal
party
resolution
subject
to
democratic
parliamentary
processes.

“Parties
come
up
with
resolutions,
even
the
opposition
has
its
own
resolutions
and
these
are
put
to
test,”
Murechu
stated.

“If
the
party
agrees
with
the
resolutions,
they
will
go
to
Parliament.
The
parliament
has
opposition
MPs,
if
that
issue
is
not
liked
there
it
will
hit
a
bump.”

He
elaborated
on
a
vision
of
majority
rule,
dismissing
the
notion
that
the
resolution
was
predetermined
to
succeed.

“If
MPs
do
not
agree
they
will
vote
and
zero
sum
winner
takes
all.
That
is
democracy.
It
is
a
Zanu
PF
resolution,
it
will
go
to
the
government
who
takes
it
to
Parliament
and
MPs
will
vote.
If
they
do
not
agree,
they
will
vote.
The
majority
vote
then
sees
the
light
of
the
day,”
Murechu
said.

Murechu
acknowledged
internal
dissent
within
Zanu
PF
itself,
using
a
simplistic
analogy
to
explain
his
view
of
democratic
decision-making.

“Even
within
our
party,
some
don’t
agree,
that
is
democracy
but
what
is
agreed
by
many
sees
the
light
of
the
day.
MPs
will
sit
and
vote
even
with
projects
and
programmes
but
the
majority
decides.
When
the
majority
want
a
borehole
and
others
want
a
chicken
fowl,
those
who
want
a
borehole
win,”
he
said.

He
also
pointed
to
existing
legal
challenges
as
evidence
of
a
functioning
system,
alluding
to
a
constitutional
court
petition
submitted
by
independent
candidate
Mbuso
Fuzwayo
to
stop
the
term
extension.

“There
are
legal
processes,
some
are
already
up,”
he
noted.

The
exchange
highlighted
the
central
political
conflict
in
Zimbabwe
as
the
ruling
party
is
trying
to
find
ways
to
amend
constitutional
term
limits.

His
remarks,
however,
drew
murmurs
from
the
crowd,
with
several
attendees
questioning
whether
a
Zanu
PF-controlled
Parliament
would
genuinely
reject
a
resolution
pushed
by
the
party
leadership.

Participants
at
the
debate
could
be
heard
saying
that
Murechu’s
defence
rested
entirely
on
the
procedural
aspect
of
the
proposed
change,
as
he
argued
that
a
parliamentary
vote
legitimises
the
outcome
while
sidestepping
the
substantive
critique
of
undermining
the
foundational
five-year
term
limit
enshrined
in
Zimbabwe’s
national
constitution.

Cllr
Mutangi’s
co-accused,
Janet
Zhou,
will
perform
450
hours
of
community
service
at
Cowdray
Park
police
station
for
the
same
charges.

Bulawayo
Provincial
Magistrate,
Richard
Ramaboea,
sentenced
the
pair
to
a
total
of
40
months
in
prison,
and
suspended
two
months
from
each
count
on
condition
that
they
restitute
all
the
victims
in
full
by
February
27.
The
remaining
14
months
were
commuted
to
community
service
for
each
of
them.

Mutangi
and
Zhou
were
convicted
on
13
counts
of
fraud
last
week,
after
they
swindled
local
vendors
of
money
by
falsely
promising
them
vending
bays.
The
pair,
who
had
denied
the
charges,
was
found
guilty
by
the
court.

Magistrate
Ramaboea
ruled
that
the
vendors
had
only
handed
over
their
money
because
they
were
assured
of
legal
vending
bays
that
would
allow
them
to
trade
without
running
from
municipal
police,
but
Mutangi
and
Zhou
instead
defrauded
them.

He
said
receipt
books
produced
in
court
and
the
constitution
of
their
purported
Bulawayo
Achievers
Association
were
part
of
a
ploy
to
evade
the
charges.

In
mitigation,
their
lawyer,
Constance
Mathaba
of
Makiye
and
Partners,  submitted
that
Mutangi
was
a
first-time
offender
who
had
learnt
from
the
experience
and
was
prepared
to
compensate
the
complainants.
She
said
the
extensive
media
coverage
of
the
case
had
already
caused
him
significant
embarrassment
and
that
he
would
not
want
to
repeat
such
conduct.

“The
accused
has
never
broken
the
law
until
now.
He
is
also
willing
to
restitute
the
complainants
their
money.
For
a
person
of
his
standing,
he
has
learnt
his
lesson,”
she
said,
adding
that
the
public
scrutiny
surrounding
the
case
had
been
punitive
in
itself.

The
exchanges
emerged
during
a
Meet
Your
Candidates
debate
community
meeting
in
Nkulumane
where
aspiring
legislators
were
asked
to
say
out
what
they
had
done
and
what
they
could
realistically
do
for
Nkulumane.

The
debate
was
held
Wednesdy
at
Nkulumane
Hall
and
organised
by
the
Centre
for
Innovation
and
Technology
(CITE)
in
collaboration
with
the
Bulawayo
Progressive
Residents
Association
(BPRA),
Election
Resource
Centre
(ERC)
and
the
Nkulumane
Constituency
Development
Committee.

Zanu
PF’s
candidate,
Freedom
Murechu,
championed
a
model
of
development-through-access
and
leveraging
connection
to
the
ruling
party
to
extract
resources
while
the
independent
candidates
such
as
Rodney
Jele
advocated
for
a
model
of
devolved
governance,
where
development
is
planned
and
executed
locally,
free
from
partisan
manipulation
from
Harare.

The
Zanu
PF
candidate
argued
opposition-led
urban
councils
had
failed
Bulawayo
and
were
responsible
for
the
city’s
deterioration
over
the
past
two
decades.

He
said
aligning
Nkulumane
with
the
ruling
Zanu
PF
would
facilitate
development
because
the
national
government,
including
President
Emmerson
Mnangagwa,
is
controlled
by
Zanu
PF.

“Zanu
is
in
opposition
in
Bulawayo
province.
The
opposition
has
been
in
power
for
two
decades
now.
The
city
was
run
by
Zanu
before
the
opposition
took
over.
In
2000
when
the
opposition
came
over
that’s
when
we
started
seeing
the
city
deteriorating,”
he
said.

Murechu
claimed
Zanu
PF
had
long-term
development
plans
that
were
discarded
after
the
opposition
took
control
of
the
city’s
governance.

“Zanu
council
had
a
vision
of
growing
the
population
and
said
short-term
let’s
drill
boreholes,
long-term,
do
Gwayi-Shangani,
but
Zanu
was
voted
out,”
he
said,
noting
the
government
has
been
accused
of
neglect
when
water
shortages
worsened.

Murechu
also
questioned
the
need
to
build
new
dams,
saying
residents
will
shoulder
that
burden
after
Mbuso
Fuzwayo,
one
of
the
independent
candidates,
had
proposed
that.

The
Zanu
PF
hopeful
cited
developments
in
Pelandaba–Tshabalala
and
Cowdray
Park,
attributing
them
to
by-elections
that
returned
the
constituencies
to
Zanu
PF.

“We
took
control
in
Pelandaba–Tshabalala
and
Cowdray
Park
after
by-elections
and
a
lot
is
happening
now
there,
but
the
development
is
seen
as
a
drop
in
the
ocean
because
our
cities
and
towns
have
deteriorated
a
lot.
Look
at
what
Mthuli
Ncube
(finance
minister
who
ran
for
the
seat
but
was
beaten
in
the
2023
election)
did
in
Cowdray
Park,
look
at
the
roads,
he
has
continued.”

Murechu
said
he
had
personally
financed
some
community
initiatives.

“I
have
drilled
a
borehole
using
my
own
money
after
speaking
to
the
local
councillor
Mmeli
Dube
regardless
of
the
fact
that
I
am
a
Zanu
member.
We 
do
a
lot
but
people
don’t
notice.
You
only
see
it
during
a
campaign
but
the
challenge
is
you
people
don’t
rise
up.
You
say
‘yizinto
zeZanu
asizingeni’ but
that’s
money
to
develop
our
communities.”

He
added
that
his
close
ties
to
the
government
would
provide
steady
support
for
Nkulumane.

“I
have
good
relations
with
the
government
of
the
day.
Now
we
have
fixed
four
transformers
and
over
7
000
food
hampers
have
arrived.
The
US$100,000
revolving
fund
is
here
but
I
was
already
capacitating
others
with
my
own
money,”
Murechu
said.

Positioning
himself
as
the
only
candidate
who
can
work
seamlessly
with
the
national
administration,
he
said:
“I
am
clearly
someone
who
can
work
with
the
current
government,
already
Zanu
is
in
the
government
and
the
president
is
a
Zanu
candidate.
Vote
for
someone
who
can
work
with
the
Zanu
government
and
the
Zanu
leader,”
said
the
candidate

However
Murechu’s
assertions
were
swiftly
challenged.

Former
councillor,
Jele,
now
an
independent
candidate,
dismissed
the
idea
that
aligning
with
the
ruling
party
guarantees
development.

He
argued
the
deterioration
of
Bulawayo
began
when
the
central
government
stripped
councils
of
autonomy.

“I
don’t
have
money
to
bring
development.
You
would
be
thieving
if
you
do
that
from
your
own
pocket
but
as
a
public
official
you
work
with
the
state
that
releases
funds.
The
government
centralised
everything
when
the
opposition
took
over
power.
The
local
authority
is
as
poor
as
its
residents,”
Jele
said.

“The
government
removed
local
power
and
centralised
everything.
That’s
when
the
local
authority
failed
to
deliver.
To
an
extent
that
if
you
want
to
hire
personnel,
you
must
go
to
Harare.
That’s
why
we
are
pushing
devolution.”

Another
independent
candidate,
Mbuso
Fuzwayo,
said
development
in
Nkulumane
should
not
be
reduced
to
political
allegiance
or
personal
wealth.

“I
cannot
develop
Nkulumane
on
my
own.
Development
doesn’t
need
me
alone
as
Fuzwayo
but
everyone.
All
of
us
must
set
our
priorities
well,
but
our
priorities
are
misplaced,
let’s
meet
together
halfway.”

MDC–T
candidate,
Ethel
Sibanda,
highlighted
her
past
work
with
community
organisations
focusing
on
children’s
welfare.

“I
worked
with
NGOs
which
were
paying
fees
for
children.
Some
who
are
here
can
testify 
but
when
the
government
made
the
law
tough
for
NGOs,
we
ended
this
last
year.
I
have
worked
with
children,
improving
relations
with
parents
so
they
can
become
good
models,”
she
said.

The
debate
on
Wednesday
held
at
Nkulumane
Hall
and
organised
by
the
Centre
for
Innovation
and
Technology
(CITE)
in
collaboration
with
the
Bulawayo
Progressive
Residents
Association
(BPRA),
Election
Resource
Centre
(ERC)
and
the
Nkulumane
Constituency
Development
Committee,
drew
a
packed
and
highly
charged
audience
that
exposed
raw
tensions
and
divisive
tactics.

Ndlovu,
representing
the
CCC
now
led
by
Sengezo
Tshabangu,
struggled
to
deliver
his
points
as
a
section
of
the
crowd
heckled,
booed
and
hurled
questions
aimed
at
discrediting
him.

Tensions
escalated
when
one
attendee
loudly
demanded
to
know
where
in
Nkulumane
he
lived.

Visibly
irritated,
Madlela
said
some
in
the
audience
were
transported
to
the
hall
specifically
to
disrupt
him.

“Go
and
check
on
the
voters’
roll
where
I
stay,”
he
shot
back.

“Let
me
ask
you
as
well,
of
all
these
candidates
here,
no
one
sleeps
in
Nkulumane.
I
am
telling
you,
you
are
being
lied
to
but
I
came
here
knowing
it
would
be
like
this.
Some
of
you
were
bussed
here,
it’s
ok,
stay
there
in
your
lanes.
Let
me
tell
you
the
truth,
let’s
be
truthful
whether
you
agree
or
not,
this
is
time
for
truth,
we
are
not
stopping,
I
will
stand
for
the
truth.”

The
disruptions
also
intensified
when
Madlela
was
asked
about
his
leadership
and
public
office
experience.

“Leadership
does
not
mean
you
only
lead
in
politics…,”
he
said
but
before
he
could
complete
his
response,
hecklers
again
shouted
him
down.

“…
the
moment
I
open
my
mouth
they
disrupt”
as
he
requested
protection
from
the
master
of
ceremonies.

Madlela
insisted
he
has
a
long
record
of
leadership
outside
politics.

“Someone
who
leads
an
NGO
is
a
leader.
I
lead
in
the
arts
sector.
I
have
been
a
leader
from
the
age
of
16.
Not
knowing
someone
doesn’t
mean
they
cannot
lead,”
said
the
CCC
hopeful.

Madlela
attempted
to
steer
the
conversation
towards
issues
of
historical
injustice
and
marginalisation,
saying
many
residents
carry
unhealed
wounds.

“There
are
people
today
who
carry
pain
in
their
heart.
It
is
easy
for
us
to
be
here
making
noise
and
forget,
but
there
are
old
women
here
who
do
not
know
the
graves
of
their
children,”
he
said
amid
boos.

He
urged
Nkulumane
residents
to
give
him
a
mandate.

“Give
us
that
power
to
carry
your
tears,
carry
your
pain
and
deliver
it
to
Parliament,”
Madlela
said.

However,
each
time
he
tried
to
emphasise
his
willingness
to
confront
long-standing
issues
affecting
Matabeleland,
including
unequal
distribution
of
resources
and
poor
road
infrastructure,
he
was
again
met
with
loud
booing.

“All
of
us
here
can
agree
that
there
is
marginalisation
in
Matabeleland.
Even
on
roads,
I
drove
using
the
Zvishavane
road
going
to
Birchenough
bridge,
you
don’t
even
see
one
pothole
but
when
going
to
Tsholotsho
you
see
craters
and
craters,
including
in
Nkayi,”
he
said.

“Who
can
go
and
roar
that
in
Parliament
so
it’s
fixed?
I
am
a
courageous
man
willing
to
confront
issues
honestly.
If
you
allow
me
to
represent
you
in
Parliament,
I
will
run
with
your
grievances.”

Appealing
for
unity,
Madlela
added
that,
“politics
divides
people,
religion
divides
people,
but
our
humanity
does
not.
Knowing
who
we
are
unites
us.”

Meanwhile,
independent
candidates
were
challenged
on
how
they
would
remain
accountable
to
residents
without
the
backing
of
political
party
structures.

Independent
candidate
Mbuso
Fuzwayo
said
accountability
lies
directly
with
the
community,
that
is
people
would
make
sure
he
was
transparent.
“We
report
to
the
electorate.
We
campaign
to
people,
work
with
people.
Work
with
associations,
residents, ozibuthe,
section
leaders,
churches.
We
need
people,
we
don’t
need
political
parties,”
he
said.

Fellow
independent
candidate,
Rodney
Jele,
said
leadership
does
not
require
a
party
card,
but
clarity
of
purpose.

“You
don’t
need
a
political
party
to
lead,
you
need
a
clear
vision
and
knowing
what
people
want.
You
need
to
be
resident
here
in
Nkulumane;
I
know
residents.
I
will
hold
feedback
meetings
with
different
communities,”
he
said.

Jele
reminded
residents
that
degeneration
in
the
constituency
affects
everyone.

“Don’t
blame
leaders
if
Nkulumane
deteriorates,
it
is
Nkulumane
that
suffers,
not
the
MP
alone.
It
affects
all
of
us,”
said
the
candidate.

Organised
by
the
Centre
for
Innovation
and
Technology
(CITE)
in
collaboration
with
the
Bulawayo
Progressive
Residents
Association
(BPRA),
Election
Resource
Centre
(ERC)
and
the
Nkulumane
Constituency
Development
Committee,
the
Meet
Your
Candidates’
debate
held
Wednesday
at
Nkulumane
Hall
drew
a
packed
crowd.

However,
the
environment
was
far
from
neutral,
as
attendees
noted
that
Zanu
PF
had
bussed
in
supporters
who
cheered
loudly
whenever
their
candidate
spoke 
and
loudly
registered
disapproval
when
rivals
attempted
to
make
their
points,
frequently
drowning
them
out.

One
of
the
questions
that
laid
bare
the
candidates’
political
depth
including
that
of
their
supporters
was
deceptively
simple
–
‘Do
you
know
and
understand
the
role
of
a
Member
of
Parliament?’

ZAPU
candidate,
Vivian
Viyo
Siziba,
delivered
one
of
the
most
pointed
and
constitutionally
grounded
responses
as
he
underscored
that
an
MP’s
role
is
fundamentally
different
from
that
of
a
councillor.

“The
role
of
an
MP
is
supposed
to
hold
the
executive
accountable,
prevent
the
executive
from
doing
misdeeds
and
hold
the
government
departments
to
account,
including
the
police,”
he
said.
“For
instance
all
the
bad
deeds
that
some
police
officers
are
doing
on
the
roads
should
be
taken
to
Parliament
and
ask
the
relevant
ministry.”

Siziba
explained
that
oversight
and
scrutiny
are
the
core
of
parliamentary
duty
and
then
invoked
a
dramatic
example
that
instantly
ignited
tensions
in
the
hall.

“For
example,
this
past
Sunday
we
saw
a
helicopter
campaigning
for
one
candidate,
flying
into
a
public
area.
An
MP
has
to
ask
the
Ministry
of
Defence
to
explain
on
what
grounds
that
helicopter
was
doing
at
a
school
grounds,”
he
said,
prompting
loud
heckling
and
protests
from
Zanu
PF
supporters.

Their
reaction,
Siziba
noted,
was
precisely
why
constitutional
literacy
was
urgently
needed.

“Their
reaction
is
why
the
constitution
must
be
taught
so
that
people
understand
what
freedom
of
speech
is
to
allow
people
to
express
their
views.
We
must
make
sure
we
follow
the
constitution,”
he
said.

Siziba
continued,
criticising
the
extension
of
Bulawayo’s
town
clerk
as
another
example
requiring
oversight.

“When
it
comes
to
scrutiny
or
oversight
it
is
finding
out
why
there
are
no
pills
in
the
hospitals,
why
roads
are
not
fixed.
We
must
make
sure
the
minister
fixes
that,
not
keep
quiet
about
it.
It
is
surprising
that
even
MPs
in
Parliament
suffer
on
the
roads
when
travelling
to
their
rural
homes.”

Siziba
pushed
for
constitutional
education
in
schools
as
civics,
warning
that
without
this
grounding,
Zimbabwe
risked
producing
legislators
who
are
“dismissed
as
cartoons.”

Zanu
PF
candidate,
Freedom
Murechu,
in
contrast,
took
a
more
conventional,
but
noticeably
less
critical
stance.

He
defined
representation
as
being
“the
mouth
of
the
constituency,”
saying
an
MP
takes
people’s
views
to
Parliament,
participates
in
law-making
and
provides
oversight
“on
the
government
and
even
the
local
government,
the
city
council.”

Murechu’s
priorities
centred
on
addressing
drug
abuse,
supporting
youth
and
women
entrepreneurs,
including
pushing
for
smart
metering
in
water
billing
by
the
local
city
council.

He
pledged
to
advocate
for
more
government
funding
to
support
18
solarised
boreholes
in
Nkulumane
and
to
strengthen
welfare
support
for
the
elderly.

His
attempt
to
downplay
the
helicopter
incident
drew
loud
applause
from
his
supporters.

“That
helicopter
that
you
were
talking
about,”
he
said,
gesturing
toward
the
ZAPU
candidate,
“was
meant
to
bring
me
that
money
to
support
projects.”

Independent
candidate,
Rodney
Jele,
echoed
the
constitutional
framing
laid
out
by
Siziba,
citing
Section
119
as
the
backbone
of
the
MP’s
mandate.

“Zimbabwe’s
constitution
Section
119
talks
about
roles
of
an
MP,
which
is
representation
and
law-making,
monitoring
the
government
performance,
bringing
accountability,”
he
said.

Jele’s
priorities
focused
on
basic
infrastructure,
water,
roads
and
sewer 
and
pushing
for
devolution
to
make
sure
provincial
councils
are
operational.

“Young
people
need
to
have
self-sustenance
and
have
income
generating
projects.
We
must
implement
devolution
and
make
sure
provincial
councils
are
implemented
so
that
voices
of
Nkulumane
can
be
heard,
even
that
of
the
greater
Bulawayo,”
he
saidd

Independent
candidate
Mbuso
Fuzwayo
was
repeatedly
shouted
down
by
Zanu
PF
supporters,
especially
when
he
criticised
attempts
to
extend
political
terms.

“The
role
of
an
MP
is
to
protect
the
constitution,”
he
said.

“Right
now
Zanu
PF
is
talking
about
extending
the
president’s
term
of
office
to
2030,
but
we
have
to
follow
what
is
in
the
constitution
and
stop
their
extension.”

As
jeers
intensified,
his
microphone
was
nearly
drowned
out,
but
Fuzwayo
continued,
arguing
that
MPs
must
lobby
the
executive
to
change
its
priorities
and
to
focus
on
social
services.

He
cited
one
of
the
main
priorities
should
be
water
infrastructure
rather
than
“handing
out
cars.”

“Since
independence,
Bulawayo
only
has
one
dam
yet
it
is
a
big
city.
The
government
is
supposed
to
build
dams,”
he
said.