Zanu PF trounces MDC in Chegutu

Zanu PF trounces MDC in Chegutu

• MDC, Zanu PF square up in Chegutu

• Zanu PF factions battle for Harare

• Judge delays Shoko judgment

• Court to rule on Shoko suspension

• 'Garbage Leslie' kicked out

• Chitungwiza mayor suspended

• Chombo puts back Harare poll to 2007

• Another week, another Chombo ultimatum

• Chombo reinstates Chegutu councilors

• Chombo elbows out Chitungwiza mayor

• Chombo's 24-hour deadline for Shoko

• Zanu PF mobs lock out Chitungwiza mayor

• Mugabe bids to lure MDC mayor to Zanu PF

• Mugabe moves to take over cities from MDC

• Mutare mayor damned by Chombo hatchet men

• Mutare mayor: Chombo probe predetermined

• MDC bid to block Makwavarara jaunt

• Makwavarara's US$27 000 Russian jaunt

• Chombo's mistress settles $1,6bn suit

• Chombo's mistress and her famous conquests

• Chombo a love rat, says wife

• Chombo appoints Makwavarara to run Harare

By Staff Reporter

ZIMBABWE'S ruling Zanu PF party has won a key mayoral election in the small town of Chegutu in a weekend election.

A total of 5 581 voters turned up at the polls, a slight improvement from the 5 352 who voted in the previous election, but that still represented a small fraction of the 20 574 registered voters.

Martin Zimani, the Zanu PF candidate trounced the incumbent - Francis Dhlakama, who was representing a faction of Zimbabwe's opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) loyal to Morgan Tsvangirai.

Zimani polled 3 236 votes, while Dhlakama polled 2 335.

The result was a crushing blow on the opposition which has been steadily losing ground on it's urban strongholds to President Robert Mugabe's Zanu PF party.

In the second largest city of Bulawayo where another faction led by Arthur Mutambara fielded two candidates in ward elections, the MDC lost again.

Prisilla Misihairabwi, the party's parliamentary spokesperson said: "These results don't illustrate a massive shift of MDC supporters joining Zanu PF but rather a growing frustration at the leadership of the party.

"These are some of the things that we need to put right in the coming months as we try to engage the people to once again invest their confidence in the party leadership to the pre-2000 era. We need to regain the people's confidence and trust."

Analysts blame disillusionment with the MDC, which recently split in two, as well as widespread voter apathy due to the prevailing harsh living conditions in Zimbabwe.

Opposition voters also have to decipher conflicting signals from the MDC, which sometimes advocates poll boycotts.

The authorities have suspended MDC mayors in three cities: the capital Harare, its dormitory town Chitungwiza and the eastern city
of Mutare.

Life in many of Zimbabwe's cities is getting harder for ordinary residents amid frequent power cuts, broken sewage systems and erratic rubbish collection while rate bills are rising dramatically - Staff Reporter/SAPA/DPA
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