HARARE – Zanu PF has won the Nkulumane constituency by-election after just 23 percent of registered voters turned out to vote in the traditionally opposition-held Bulawayo seat.

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) on Sunday announced that Zanu PF candidate Freedom Phineas Murechu had secured victory in the poll triggered by the October road accident death of sitting MP Desire Moyo.

Murechu polled 3,146 votes, beating independent candidate Rodney Jele, who finished second with 745 votes, in a field of nine contenders.

The late MP’s wife, Excellia Ester Zitha, also contesting as an independent, came third with 325 votes, while Muthusi Ndlovu of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) faction led by Sengezo Tshabangu placed fourth with 320 votes.

Rights activist Mbuso Fuzwayo of Ibhetshu LikaZulu was fifth with 121 votes, followed by ZAPU’s Viyo Vivian Siziba on 110 votes. Alson Moyo of the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) garnered 65 votes, MDC-T’s Ethel Sibanda 23, while Nompilo Ncube of ZANC brought up the rear with 18 votes.

Nkulumane has long been regarded as an opposition stronghold. Zanu PF last won the constituency in a 2015 by-election, when Killian Sibanda emerged victorious following a split in the then-main opposition MDC after the death of MP Thamsanqa Mahlangu.

In the 2023 general elections, the late Desire Moyo won the seat with 9,880 votes, while Murechu finished second with 2,402.

Zanu PF’s latest victory adds to a growing list of by-election gains in major urban centres, traditionally dominated by opposition parties, amid fragmentation and internal disputes within the opposition.

In Bulawayo, Zanu PF now holds Nkulumane, Cowdray Park, Pelandaba Tshabalala, Bulawayo South and Nketa constituencies, following by-elections triggered by the controversial recall of CCC MPs by self-declared secretary general Sengezo Tshabangu, moves widely seen as benefiting the ruling party by boosting its parliamentary numbers.

In Harare, Zanu PF has also secured by-election wins in Mabvuku-Tafara and Mt Pleasant.

Commenting on the Nkulumane result, Zanu PF political commissar Munyaradzi Machacha said the outcome reflected shifting political dynamics in urban areas.

“This win is a reflection of the changing mood in the city,” Machacha said. “The opposition is disintegrating, lacks a developmental programme and has presided over the decay of urban centres. We therefore expect continued success in future elections.”