By Paul Nyathi|Sitting Bulawayo Mayor Councillor Martin Moyo was over the weekend left shell shocked when he was defeated in the opposition MDC-T primary elections.
Moyo who only last week expressed fears that he might lose the election though he wanted a second term in council was heavily defeated by little known Mr Tinashe Kambarami to represent the party in Ward 3.
Mr Kambarami, who is a member of the party’s youth assembly trounced Clr Moyo, receiving 170 votes to the Mayor’s 25.
Confirming the outcome of the primaries, the party’s provincial chairperson, Bulawayo Deputy Mayor, Clr Gift Banda said the process was ongoing with most of the wards in the city having been completed.
“The process is going on smoothly with some of the wards already having completed voting while some might go on until tomorrow (today),” said Clr Banda.
Other sitting councillors who lost in the primaries are Clr Gladys Masuku (ward 10) and Clr Nephat Sibanda (ward 16). Clr Sibanda lost to Ms Mildred Ncube. Clrs Mzama Dube (ward 25), Pilate Moyo (ward 11), Norman Hlabani (ward 26), Monica Lubimbi (ward 29), Lilian Mlilo (ward 12) and Macdonald Chunga (ward 14) all won and were confirmed as the party’s candidates in the local government elections. The six join Clrs Silas Chigora (ward four), Rodney Jele (ward 22), Concilia Mlalazi (ward 18), Clyton Zana (ward 19) and Mr Felix Mhaka (ward five), who were all uncontested.
Mr Mhaka replaces Clr Banda who will be contesting to represent the party in the National Assemby seat in Njube-Lobengula constituency. However, the party had to postpone the primary elections in Cowdray Park where the sitting councillor Clr Collet Ndhlovu was being challenged by his stepson, Mr Happyson Ncube, after Clr Ndhlovu and his supporters violently disrupted the vote counting process when he reportedly realised that the results were not going in his favour.
Party sources revealed that Clr Ndhlovu became violent, attacking Mr Ncube’s supporters vowing that the election will not go ahead.
In ward 16 where Clr Nephat Sibanda lost to Ms Mildred Ncube there were also reports of violence breaking out with Clr Sibanda allegedly being attacked by Ms Ncube’s son who was attempting to block him from observing the counting process.