The Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) party says it carried out a consultative process with members of the community in Bulilima to select candidates for the upcoming by-election to be held in three wards on September 3.
Nomination Court sat on August 9, 2022, and three CCC candidates successfully filed their papers for the vacant council seats in Ward 1, 14 and 16 of Bulilima Rural District Council.
The three vacancies arose after the resignation of two Zanu PF councillors, Tonny Mlotshwa and Ntungamili Dube plus the death of Delani Mabhena
The party’s supporters based in the diaspora have already started fundraising for the candidates’ campaign drive and for its polling agents who will be observing the by-elections.
Speaking at a recent Twitter space organised by the CCC Mthwakazin – a group of party’s supporters based in the diaspora – a party member active in Bulilima, Precious Nomzamo, confirmed they did not impose anyone but relied on the community to select their chosen candidates.
“We have done the community candidate selection and we involved traditional leaders, church leaders, different institutions, young people, business people and other stakeholders, consulting them to give us names,” she said.
“We had a template with questionnaires and we gave these to the community asking them to rate the candidates on a scale of 10. At the end of the day, we tallied the candidates with the best rating and they became the chosen candidates.”
Precious expressed optimism that the CCC party would win since the candidates came directly from the locals.
“People feel the candidates are part of them. We did not impose them or favour them but did what the community required us to do. The community knows these people and stays with them so they chose the best candidates,” said the CCC party member.
Precious noted the three candidates consisted of two males and one female.
“The candidate for Ward 16 is Makhadi Moyo who has been doing community work in different spheres. She is part of the School Development Committee at Lungwe Secondary, which is the only secondary in the ward. She is a community caregiver and so far locals are saying she is doing wonders. Some narrated how the ward had a problem and after long deliberation, Moyo stood up and offered a solution that everyone was happy with. The locals said even people from other parties were happy with her problem-solving skills,” she said.
“In Ward 1 we have Ephraim Moyo who is also a known community candidate. Then in Ward 14, we have another Ephraim Moyo, who is a Bishop, a businessman and a community leader. It seems the ancestors are giving us an opportunity to change in the three wards as all the candidates are Moyos.”
She noted that funds were needed for the candidates and polling agents since there were a total of 13 polling stations for the Bulilima by-election.
“There will be four polling stations in Ward 1. These are Nyabane Primary school, Sheila Farm Tent, Skhathini Clinic and Skhathini High School.
“Ward 14 will have five polling stations – Gotjombo Primary School, Mafeha Primary School, Malalume Primary School, Malopa Dam Primary School and Nswazwi Primary School.
“Then in Ward 16, there are four polling stations Mathambo and Gwenda Primary schools plus two tents in Village 18 and Village 30,” she said.
“We will require polling agents in all these polling stations to guard our votes, and observe everything in the polling station. We are going to have two polling agents in each station and we will need food for them plus a lot of other resources for the voting day. We are not seated, waiting for funds to come through but we have been doing what we can. We have been going to the ground and started campaigning for all the candidates.”
Precious said the party’s campaign work was going to be easier had they more resources.
“We are not here to defend the candidates or to market them as they are already known. Our job is helping the candidates campaign,” she said, adding CCC was competing against four other political parties.
“In Ward 14, CCC is going against Zanu PF and ZAPU. In Ward 16 it is the same CCC against Zanu PF and ZAPU. Then in Ward 1, CCC is competing against Zanu PF, a new party that came up during nomination court which is called the People’s Patriotic Party (PPP) and the Constitutional Generation for Change (CGC) party.”
CCC Mthwakazi stated that fundraising for the Bulilima by-elections was the group’s fifth initiative, as it previously assisted in raising funds for the March 26 by-elections in Pumula, Nkulumane, Binga North and Tsholotsho South.
The group said it also assisted with Bulawayo’s voter registration and door-to-door outreach exercise, the Binga North celebrations and also fundraised for the Matabeleland rural outreach exercise.
