ZANU-PF has won all three contested wards in the Tsholotsho Rural District Council in by-elections held on Saturday, 20 June, according to official results declared by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).
The ruling party retained Ward 1 and Ward 21 with comfortable margins over independent challengers, and took Ward 10 in a three-way contest that was contested by the opposition ZAPU.
In Ward 1, ZANU-PF’s Lindiwe Mkwananzi polled 471 votes against 251 for independent candidate Solani Mhilo. Ward Elections Officer Hlabangana Doli declared Mkwananzi duly elected, with seven ballots rejected and turnout put at 45.4%.
In Ward 21, Phillip Mvundla of ZANU-PF won with 512 votes, more than double the 236 votes for independent Marx Sibanda. The result was announced by WEO Thembenhle Khumalo. Three ballots were rejected, and turnout was 41.1%.
The biggest margin came in Ward 10, where ZANU-PF’s Simbisai Ndlovu took 802 votes. ZAPU’s Washington Mchulikanisi Ncube was a distant second with 183 votes, while independent Ntando Siziba received 67. WEO Tito Sialuya declared Ndlovu the winner, with 15 rejected ballots and a 37.7% poll.
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