Pashor Raphael Sibanda

Pashor Raphael Sibanda
Member of the National Assembly of Zimbabwe for Cowdray Park
In office
7 September 2023 – 3 October 2023
Preceded byNew seat
Succeeded byVacant
Personal details
Born
Pashor Raphael Sibanda

1994 or 1995 (age 29–30)
Bulawayo, Zimbabwe
Political partyCitizens Coalition for Change
EducationCowdray Park Secondary School
Alma materNational University of Science and Technology

Pashor Raphael Sibanda (born 1994 or 1995) is a Zimbabwean politician who was elected to the National Assembly of Zimbabwe in the 2023 general election. He represented the constituency of Cowdray Park as a member of the Citizens Coalition for Change. In October 2023, Sibanda and a group of CCC MPs were expelled from Parliament following a letter by Sengezo Tshabangu, who claimed to be interim secretary-general of the CCC.

Early life and education

Sibanda was born in Bulawayo. He attended Tategulu Primary School and Cowdray Park Secondary School. He graduated from the National University of Science and Technology with a Bachelor of Commerce Honours degree in Marketing.[1]

Political career

In 2013, Sibanda was elected junior mayor of Bulawayo while doing his A-Level at Mpopoma High School. During his time at university, he was the regional secretary-general of the Zimbabwe National Student Union in Matabeleland.[1] He was also a youth leader of the Movement for Democratic Change.[1]

Sibanda later joined the Citizens Coalition for Change. In June 2023, he was announced as the party's parliamentary candidate for the newly created Cowdray Park seat to be contested at the general elections in August 2023.[2] On 27 July 2023, the Bulawayo High Court nullified Sibanda's and other Bulawayo CCC parliamentary candidates' candidatures.[3] The CCC appealed the High Court's decision and the Supreme Court ruled in their favour on 3 August, reinstating Sibanda and the other CCC parliamentary candidates in Bulawayo.[4] Sibanda went on to defeat the Minister of Finance Mthuli Ncube at the general election.[5] He was sworn in on 7 September 2023.

In October 2023, Sibanda and fourteen other CCC MPs ceased being parliamentarians following a letter by Sengenzo Tshabangu, who claimed to the interim secretary-general of the CCC, in which he wrote that Sibanda and the other MPs had been expelled from the party.[6] Sibanda and the other expelled CCC MPs filed to run in the by-elections in their constituencies on 9 December 2023, however, the Harare High Court barred them from participating on 7 December.[7]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Inside the life of Mthuli's 'nightmare'". The Standard. 2 September 2023. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  2. ^ "Chamisa Unveils His Winning Team – ZimEye". Retrieved 2023-11-06.
  3. ^ "Zanu PF wins 3 Parly seats unopposed after High Court ruling". The Herald. Retrieved 2023-11-06.
  4. ^ "Disqualified CCC dozen re-enter race". Newsday Zimbabwe. 4 August 2023. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  5. ^ "Money doesn't always win: Wealthy candidates lose in Zimbabwe elections". www.thezimbabwean.co. Retrieved 2023-11-06.
  6. ^ "CCC MPs officially recalled from parliament – Harare Live". hararelive.com. Retrieved 2023-11-06.
  7. ^ https://www.herald.co.zw/court-bars-22-recalled-ccc-legislators-from-polls/