Spencer Tshuma

Spencer Tshuma
Mr; Spencer Tshuma
Born	Spencer Tshuma
Residence	Zimbabwe
Nationality	Zimbabwean
Citizenship	Zimbabwean
Organization	ZANU PF
Known for	Elected MP for Gokwe-Kabuyuni on 27 August 2022

Spencer Tshuma is a Zimbabwean politician who is the member of the National Assembly for Gokwe-Kabuyuni Constituency.

He was elected a Member of Parliament on a ZANU PF ticket in a by-election held on 27 August 2022.

The Gokwe-Kabuyuni seat became vacant following the death of Leonard Chikomba (ZANU PF) who died in a car accident on 28 May 2022.

School / Education

No information was found on his Junior or High School, or any tertiary education.

Career

On 28 August 2022, Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) Constituency Elections Officer Kudzai Nkomo declared Spencer Tshuma the duly elected member of the National Assembly for Gokwe-Kabuyuni Constituency.

Tshuma garnered 10 727 votes while the Citizens’ Coalition for Change’s (CCC) candidate Costin Muguti polled 4 800 votes.

Events

Tshuma won the ZANU PF primaries amid reports of vote rigging mainly from party members who supported his main challenger, Manager Munkuli.^[1]

Reports at the time suggested that the names of some Tonga-speaking ZANU PF members were missing from the voters’ roll for the primary elections.

Tshuma garnered 4 336 votes, Munkuli polled 3 661, Tapera Nyoni received 363 votes, and a lecturer in the Midlands State University Faculty of Social Sciences, Lyton Ncube, got 220 votes. Tshuma, however, denied the allegations.

Controversies

The Amalgamated Rural Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) claimed that some teachers were chased away from their polling stations in Gokwe-Kabuyuni just a few hours before polls opened.

ARTUZ alleged the teachers were accused of supporting Nelson Chamisa and his party CCC.

However, ZEC spokesperson Jasper Mangwana dismissed the claims, saying they hadn't received any report on such an incident.^[2]

The run-up to the Gokwe-Kabuyuni by-election was also marred by violence blamed on rowdy ZANU PF supporters who targeted opponents and journalists.

CCC supporters and journalists were injured after suspected ZANU PF youths unleashed an orgy of violence, mounting illegal roadblocks to stop CCC leader Nelson Chamisa from travelling to a campaign rally in the constituency.^[3]