FINANCE and Economic Development Minister, Professor Mthuli Ncube, is eyeing the Cowdray Park parliamentary constituency seat in Bulawayo and has submitted his papers to the ruling party for consideration in primaries.
Prof Ncube joined the Government in 2018 as a non-elected Cabinet Minister.
Since then, he has made inroads into becoming an active member of the ruling party, Zanu PF.
He was elected Central Committee member for Bulawayo late last year before President Mnangagwa appointed him deputy finance secretary in the Politburo.
Zanu PF is expected to hold primary elections this week to select candidates to represent the party in the forthcoming harmonised elections.
President Mnangagwa has already been endorsed as the party’s sole candidate for the presidency.
All aspiring candidates for parliamentary, senate, council and proportional representation seats were expected to have submitted their CVs to the provincial administrator at the respective provincial headquarters by Saturday at 6pm.
Aspiring candidates on Saturday and yesterday who had submitted their CVs started circulating posters as they canvassed for votes.
Prof Ncube is among the new faces to contest for a National Assembly seat for the newly-formed Cowdray Park constituency.
The poster for Prof Ncube’s candidature is inscribed “massive development for Cowdray Park.”
Among candidates that seemed to draw the attention of the public is Dr Qhubani Moyo, who is vying for the Insiza North seat.
Dr Moyo, contested in the 2013 elections on the Professor Welshman Ncube led MDC ticket in the same constituency, but lost to Zanu PF’s Cde Andrew Langa.
He took a break from politics and joined the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission where he was appointed one of the commissioners.
Dr Moyo was the ZEC spokesperson until his term lapsed and did not seek to serve for a second term.
He has since emerged as one of the candidates to contest in the ruling party’s primary elections.
The party has deployed Politburo members in various provinces to supervise the election process.
Bulawayo is led by Cde Tshinga Dube; Harare Cde Charles Tavengwa; Manicaland Cde Patrick Chinamasa; Mashonaland Central Cde Kenneth Musanhi; Mashonaland East Cde Mike Bimha; Mashonaland West Cde Christopher Mutsvangwa; Masvingo Cde Lovemore Matuke; Matabeleland North-Cde Obert Mpofu; Matabeleland South Cde Richard Ndlovu and Midlands Province Cde Simbarashe Mumbengegwi. – The Herald
