Musikavanhu Constituency
Party: Independent
Pishai Mucharaya is not a novice in Zimababwean politics as he was once a Member of the House of the National Assembly for Makoni South and MDC T Secretary for Information and Publicity for Manicaland Province. In 2008, he polled 14072 votes in Makoni South, a feat he failed to repeat in the 2013 harmonised elections where he garnered a paltry 5092 against 10268 votes for Mandiitawepi Chimene. Internal strife in the MDC T party intensified after the 2013 harmonised elections and reached boiling point when Pishai together with his provincial chairperson were suspended from the party. He and the other suspended members formed People’s Democratic Party (PDP). He spent three (3) years in political dissipation. He found a new lease of political life when his principal Tendai Biti joined the MDC Alliance, and he did not waste time but declared his interests in Musikavanhu Constituency. The constituency was initially earmarked to hold primary elections pitting him with the young and energetic Macmillan Rimbi. The primary elections were to be a useful tool to prove whether he still has the political shrewdness needed to navigate the political terrain of campaigning. The primary elections were ultimately shelved as they appeared to be on the verge of being messy and nasty. The MDC Alliance then made a decision to allocate the seat to another alliance party, Zanu Ndonga.
Pishai Muchauraya then filed his papers with ZEC as an independent candidate. As an independent candidate, he has an enviable task of getting the electorate mind saturated with his own views and ideas against a trend where party views normally flood the political terrain. Nevertheless, he is of the view that party politics can undermine public sentiments and he will prove beyond reasonable doubt that he has an independent mind and can take decisions on merit that are not swayed by party positions.
Musikavanhu is a predominantly rural constituency and its residents survive on subsistence farming. There are 7 health centres, 22 primary schools and 7 secondary schools in the constituency. 3 schools offer up to A Level education. The voter population of the constituency appear to be fluctuating every election period as in 2008 there 25982 and in 2013 it had a total of 27697 whereas there are only 19377 voters who managed to register during the biometric voter registration exercise. The constituency had 28 polling stations in 2013 but the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission has set up an additional 3 polling stations to make them a total of 31 polling stations.
The constituency is a rather typical horticultural centre. Unless steps are taken to render the enormous undeveloped resources of the Save River, the constituency is doomed to remain a centre of food insecurity, high levels of poverty and underdevelopment. The constituency has seen the emergence of a political class that is perceived to be somehow distinct and separate from the rest of society. Pishai has to project himself as an individual not bent on a political career but rather as a person being driven by the interests of the constituency if he is to salvage any substantial votes in this election. Small scale farmers at Musikavanhu Irrigation Scheme have been constantly bemoaning a subdued market for their produce. These small scale farmers produce a huge tonnage of sweet beans, bananas and tomatoes but the market is failing to enable them recoup investments and in turn ensure profitability of the venture. The constituency has had representation that was more focused on what was happening in the corridors of power and not the struggling peasant communities that actually hold the sway of the vote and are battling to make ends meet. As an independent, Pishai Muchauraya has an opportunity to look a these issues and more and provide solutions that can genuinely transform people’s lives.
Pishai Michauraya will battle it out against Joshua Murire (Zanu PF), Simon Simango (PRC), Canfred Pambuka (NCA) and Sifiso Sithole (MDC Alliance).
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