Bulawayo South
| Bulawayo South | |
|---|---|
| Constituency for the National Assembly of Zimbabwe | |
| Province | Bulawayo |
| Region | Bulawayo |
| Current constituency | |
| Created | 1914 |
| Seats | 1 |
| Party | ZANU–PF |
| Member(s) | Raj Modi |
Bulawayo South is a constituency represented in the National Assembly of the Parliament of Zimbabwe, located in Bulawayo. Its current MP since a 2023 by-election is Raj Modi of ZANU–PF.[1] Notable former MPs for the constituency include Eddie Cross and David Coltart.
Profile
[edit]Bulawayo South is on the southern end of the city of Bulawayo. It is a predominantly black working-class area, with some middle- and upper-class areas. Roughly 85% of the inhabitants of the constituency are Ndebele-speaking and roughly 10% of the constituency is Shona-speaking. There are also several thousand white Zimbabweans and Indian Zimbabweans who live in the constituency as well. The working class area is centered around the Bulawayo suburbs of Sizinda, Tshabalala, and Sidojiwe (Flats), and factories as well as other industrial buildings can be found in the Belmont and Donnington industrial area. To the south, the constituency has suburbs Montrose, Newton West, Morningside, Southworld, West Somerton, and Barham Green. Prior to the 1990 election the constituency was one of the 20 white minority constituencies. The constituency has developed into a stronghold of ZANU-PF and Robert Mugabe opposition. The MDC has become a dominant presence in Bulawayo South and in 2000 saw the ZANU-PF candidate suffer a heavy loss of 51.6% of the vote. In the 2005 election, however, the ZANU-PF made a small but significant gain, while the MDC lost over 8,000 votes due in large part to poor voter turnout in the 2005 general election. The decline in support from 2005 to 2000 can also be attributed to constituency redistricting. David Coltart has remained a key member of the MDC as one of its highest-ranking members. Coltart is currently the MDC's Secretary for Legal Affairs and the Shadow Minister for Justice and Legal Affairs.
History
[edit]
In the 2023 general election, Nicola Watson of the Citizens Coalition for Change defeated the incumbent MP, Raj Modi of ZANU–PF.[2][3] On 9 October 2023, Watson was recalled from Parliament along with 14 other CCC MPs after the party's purported interim secretary-general, Sengezo Tshabangu, wrote to Speaker Jacob Mudenda informing him that Watson and the other MPs had been expelled from the party.[4] A by-election, in which Watson was barred from running, was held on 9 December 2023, in which Modi was reelected to the seat.[5][6][7]
Members
[edit]Election results
[edit]2000s
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MDC–T | Eddie Cross | 2,764 | 55 | −20.8 | |
| MDC-M | Jethro Mpofu | 1,605 | 32 | 32 | |
| ZANU–PF | Jimmy Nleya | 483 | 9.6 | −17 | |
| Independent | Marylin Ndiweni | 112 | 2.2 | N/A | |
| United People's Party (Zimbabwe) | Tobias Kamambo | 58 | 1.2 | N/A | |
| Patriotic Union of MaNdebeleland | Wilson Bancinyane | 0 | 0.0 | N/A | |
| Majority | 1,159 | 23 | −29.2 | ||
| Turnout | 5,022 | 21.6 | −14.8 | ||
| MDC–T hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MDC | David Coltart | 12,120 | 75.8 | −8.9 | |
| ZANU–PF | Sithembiso Nyoni | 3,777 | 23.6 | 10.6 | |
| Independent | Charles Mpofu | 84 | 0.5 | N/A | |
| Majority | 8,343 | 52.2 | −19.5 | ||
| Turnout | 15,981 | 36.4 | 0.6 | ||
| MDC hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MDC | David Coltart | 20,781 | 84.7 | N/A | |
| ZANU–PF | Callistus Ndlovu | 3,193 | 13.0 | −51.6 | |
| Independent | Others | 552 | 2.2 | N/A | |
| Majority | 17,588 | 71.7 | |||
| Turnout | 24,526 | 35.8 | |||
| MDC gain from ZANU–PF | Swing | ||||
1990s
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ZANU–PF | Zenzo Nsimbi | 15,631 | 64.6 | N/A | |
| FPZ | Ega Sansole | 8,558 | 35.4 | N/A | |
| ZANU–PF hold | Swing | ||||
1980s
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAZ | Graham Austen Biffen | 1,354 | 74.9 | −17.1 | |
| IZG | Robert Graeme Nixon | 454 | 25.1 | N/A | |
| CAZ hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RF | Wallace Evelyn Stuttaford | 3,715 | 92.0 | N/A | |
| Independent | Francis Robert Bertrand | 289 | 7.2 | N/A | |
| Independent | John Francis Betch | 36 | 0.9 | N/A | |
| RF hold | Swing | ||||
1970s
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RF | Wallace Evelyn Stuttaford | 4,140 | 88.1 | N/A | |
| Independent | Francis Robert Bertrand | 500 | 10.7 | N/A | |
| Independent | John Francis Betch | 57 | 1.2 | N/A | |
| Majority | 3,640 | 77.5 | −13.0 | ||
| Turnout | 4,697 | ||||
| RF hold | Swing | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RF | George Desmond Chalmers | 701 | 95.2 | N/A | |
| RAP | Ian Norman Berry | 35 | 4.8 | N/A | |
| Majority | 666 | 90.5 | |||
| Turnout | 736 | 69.5 | |||
| RF hold | Swing | ||||
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "MPs and Senators declared elected after 30 July 2018_harmonised elections". veritaszim.net. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
- ^ "Supreme Court gives green light for the CCC's 12 candidates". newZWire. 2023-08-03. Retrieved 2023-08-26.
- ^ "Zimbabwe Elections 2023 Results: Deputy Minister Raj Modi Loses Parliamentary Seat To CCC's Watson". Pindula. Retrieved 2023-08-26.
- ^ "CCC MPs officially recalled from parliament". Harare Live. 10 October 2023. Retrieved 29 October 2023.
- ^ Staff Reporter (2023-11-04). "CCC loses High Court application on recalled parliamentarians". The Zimbabwe Mail. Retrieved 2023-11-06.
- ^ "Recalled CCC MPs File For Re-election As Tshabangu Fields Parallel Candidates". Pindula. Retrieved 2023-12-09.
- ^ ZimSitRep_M (2023-12-10). "ZEC Releases 09 December 2023 By-election Results". Zimbabwe Situation. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
External links
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