ZAPU did not field any candidates for the vacant National Assembly seats in Bulawayo for the 09 December by-elections after learning that the recalled Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) Members of Parliament had decided to reclaim their seats.
This was said by ZAPU Secretary General, Mthulisi Hanana in an interview CITE.
CCC had initially stated it would not participate in the “muppet show,” and ZAPU then announced it will field candidates to stop ZANU PF from winning parliamentary seats in the city.
CCC later changed its position and its candidates successfully filed their nomination papers at the Nomination Court, forcing ZAPU to stop its members from filing. Said Hanana:
One of the major critical reasons why we were contesting this election is because we wanted to defend the city from ZANU PF. We do not want ZANU PF to benefit from these recalls.
When we discovered the MPs who had initially won indicated their party was not going to be contesting, we started our processes of nominating candidates who were going to defend the space in Bulawayo, particularly at a national level.
We were also having engagements with the affected parliamentarians behind the scenes. Now you realise these political dynamics keep changing until the final nomination day.
After seeing the affected MPs had decided to file their papers, we then resolved that our primary objective of defending the city was no longer worth investing in. That is why we asked our candidates to stand down.
Hanana said ZAPU had one candidate in Beitbridge West who had already successfully filed her nomination papers before the party could communicate with her.
Source Pindula News
