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George Maponga Masvingo Bureau
Zanu-PF has maintained its stranglehold on the Masvingo political landscape, with the ruling party’s crushing victory in the province in the just-ended harmonised polls being described as an affirmation of the new dispensation led by President Mnangagwa.

The ruling party swept all, but one of the 26 National Assembly seats in the province traditionally known as a “one party state” owing to Zanu-PF’s unfettered dominance.

Only Masvingo Urban constituency went to the MDC-Alliance where the party’s candidate Mr Jacob Nyokanhete won with 17 451 votes compared to Zanu-PF’s Major Benjamin Mazarire (Rtd) who garnered 12 637.

Maj Mazarire (Rtd)’s votes garnered the highest number of votes by a Zanu-PF candidate in the entire Masvingo district and out-polled all the ruling party candidates who contested in the country’s cities in the just-ended polls.

Zanu-PF Politburo member and ruling party Chief Whip Cde Lovemore Matuke said the revolutionary party’s victory was deserved and was thumbs up to change brought by the new dispensation.

Cde Matuke, who is the secretary for Security in the Politburo said the crushing win by Zanu-PF confirmed the province’s “one party state” status.

“We did well save for one seat that went to the MDC-Alliance but generally the performance was very good and shows that Zanu-PF is the dominant political force in Masvingo province,” he said.

“In other words the people of Masvingo’s clear message is that they are happy with the new dispensation led by President Mnangagwa that is why the entrusted their votes in Zanu-PF.”

Cde Matuke said the looming socio-economic transformation in Masvingo was because of President Mnangagwa’s drive to re-open the CSC Masvingo plant that had been mothballed for close to one and half decade and revival of SMM’s King Mine in Mashava had also endeared the ruling party to the people of Masvingo.

Cde Matuke said the focus now was to build on Zanu-PF’s solid showing and make sure the party continues on its economic recovery trajectory to benefit people in the province.

Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association, Masvingo provincial chair Cde Tendeukai Chinooneka said Zanu-PF’s victory was a big ‘yes’ by people in the province to the new dispensation led by President Mnangagwa.

“In short the sweet and deserved victory is an affirmation of the new dispensation,” he said. “The people of Masvingo are happy with the work that President Mnangagwa and his administration did during their short stint in office till the elections were held.

“The people of Masvingo have lots of hope in President Mnangagwa because of the changes he engendered in the short time he was in office.

They were unanimous in the decision to give the new dispensation a longer shelf life to fully execute its programme of action because the future is promising.”

Cde Chinooneka said Maj Mazarire (Rtd)’s good showing in Masvingo Urban, despite on a losing cause, was further confirmation that Zanu-PF’s support base had grown in the cosmopolitan urban settlement.

MDC (Chamisa)’s Masvingo provincial chair Mr James Gumbi could not be reached for comment while newly-elected Masvingo Urban legislator Mr Jacob Nyokanhete was not answering calls.

Masvingo has traditionally been a Zanu-PF stronghold as evidenced by successive ruling party runaway victories in previous polls.

In the 2013 harmonised elections, Zanu-PF swept all the 26 National Assembly seats in the province and came close to repeating the same feet in the just-ended polls failing to hit the mark by one seat.