ZANU-PF Sweeps Four Council By-Elections as Independent Vote Splits Opposition

By Southerton Business Times Reporter HARARE — ZANU-PF won all four local authority by-elections held on Saturday, 1 August 2026, securing council seats in Mutare and Victoria Falls, with official results showing that a fragmented opposition vote helped the ruling party retain or capture three of the four wards.

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) announced the results late on Saturday following voting in Mutare Municipality Ward 3 and Victoria Falls Municipality Wards 9, 10 and 11. The by-elections were characterised by low voter turnout, with all four wards recording participation rates below 30 percent, while the absence of candidates from the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) aligned to Sengezo Tshabangu left most opposition support divided among independent candidates.

In Mutare Municipality Ward 3, Portia Gwinjai of ZANU-PF was declared the winner after polling 760 votes. According to Ward Elections Officer Progress Dhliwayo, independent candidate Innocent Mandava finished second with 426 votes, while fellow independent Farai Arutura received 95 votes. Edward Mukambura of the MDC secured 76 votes. Seventeen ballot papers were rejected, while voter turnout stood at 26.5 percent. Even if the opposition votes had been combined, the independent candidates and the MDC would have amassed 597 votes, still 163 votes fewer than the ZANU-PF candidate.

In Victoria Falls Ward 11, George Mhlanga of ZANU-PF comfortably defeated independent candidate Daniel Moyo, polling 736 votes against 211. However, the contests in Wards 9 and 10 illustrated how a fragmented opposition vote benefited the ruling party. In Ward 10, Thindolie Sibanda of ZANU-PF won with 291 votes. His challengers, all standing as independents, shared the remaining votes:

• Nkanyiso Sibindi – 174 votes

• Abel Muzhuzha – 119 votes

• Deffin Ndlovu – 16 votes

• Prince T. Kagande – 13 votes

• Preston Chuma – 9 votes

• Ayanda Mathe – 7 votes

• Tonderai Sagambe – 6 votes

Collectively, the independent candidates received 344 votes, exceeding the ZANU-PF tally by 53 votes. Eight ballot papers were rejected, while turnout was 28.17 percent. In Ward 9, the outcome was even closer. Tapiwa Kwadu Sibanda of ZANU-PF secured victory with 287 votes, while independent candidates Simbarashe Mathe, Vusimuzi Sibanda and Liberty Mudenda polled 150, 115 and 22 votes respectively. Remarkably, the three independent candidates' combined total was 287 votes, exactly matching the ZANU-PF candidate's tally. Two ballot papers were rejected, and voter turnout was 27.1 percent.

The three Victoria Falls by-elections were triggered after CCC faction leader Sengezo Tshabangu recalled sitting councillors. However, no candidates linked to his faction contested the by-elections, leaving the opposition field largely to independent candidates. Political analysts have long argued that fragmented opposition candidacies under Zimbabwe's first-past-the-post electoral system can significantly influence electoral outcomes by splitting votes among candidates with similar support bases.

The latest results reinforce that trend while also highlighting continued voter apathy in local government elections, with turnout remaining below one-third of registered voters in all four wards.

ZANU-PF council by-elections 2026