The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has gazetted the appointment of Esther Nyathi as Matabeleland South Proportional Representative Member of the House of Assembly after Zanu PF nominated her to replace Alice Ndlovu who died in December last year.
The announcement was made by ZEC chairperson Justice Priscilla Chigumba in a Government Gazette published last week.
“ZEC has gazetted the appointment of Esther Nyathi, the nominee put forward by ZANU PF, as a party list/proportional representation (women’s quota) member of the National Assembly. The appointment is in terms of section 39(7)(a) of the Electoral Act and with effect from the 31st July 2020,” reads the notice.
Justice Chigumba said Nyoni was a registered voter in Matabeleland South Province and fulfilled the requirement of the Electoral Act.
“It is hereby notified, in terms of section 39(7)(a) of the Electoral Act (Chapter 2:13), that Esther Nyathi a registered voter in Ward 11 of Insiza Rural District Council of Ntute Primary School, P.O Box 113, Filabusi, Insiza, Matabeleland South Province, who was nominated by Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front (ZANU PF) party to fill the vacancy in the National Assembly Party list that occurred following the death of Alice Ndlovu, has been appointed as Party list member of the National Assembly, with effect from the date of publication of the notice.”
Ndlovu, who was elected as MP during the 2018 harmonised elections died in December last year after succumbing to kidney failure.
She was 63.
The appointment of Nyathi come as ZEC has also declared 15 seats in the National Assembly and Senate vacant after the MDC-T recalled some of its legislators.
In a gazetted notice recently, Justice Chigumba said ZEC had been formally notified by Parliament of the 15 vacancies.
Senators elected on the party lists and the extra women Members in the National Assembly elected by proportional representation are chosen by political parties in proportion to the votes received by their candidates in the constituency elections to the National Assembly.
If one of these seats falls vacant the original party nominates the successor. – Herald