Judith Tobaiwa

Judith Tobaiwa (born 1986 or 1987) is a Zimbabwean politician who was elected to the National Assembly of Zimbabwe in a by-election on 26 March 2022. She represents Kwekwe Central as a member of the Citizens Coalition For Change.

Judith Tobaiwa
MP
Member of the Zimbabwean Parliament
for Kwekwe Central
Assumed office
5 April 2022
Preceded byMasango Matambanadzo
Personal details
Born1986 or 1987 (age 36–37)
Political partyCitizens Coalition For Change (2022–present)
Other political
affiliations		Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai/MDC Alliance (Until 2022)
ParentShadreck Tobaiwa (father)

Background

Tobaiwa's late father, Shadreck, served as the mayor of Kwekwe from 2008 until 2013 and as the city's deputy mayor from 2018 until his death from prostate cancer in 2021.[1][2]

Tobaiwa was a member of the Zimbabwe National Student Union (Zinasu) at the Kwekwe Polytechnic. She joined the Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai as a ward treasurer in Kwekwe and gradually rose through the party's ranks. She was also the personal assistant of former MDC-T Kwekwe Central MP Blessing Chebundo.[3]

Parliamentary career

In October 2020, Tobaiwa won the MDC Alliance's primary election to determine the party's candidate for the by-election in Kwekwe Central following the death of the constituency's sitting Member of Parliament Masango Matambanadzo from the National Patriotic Front.[4]

In January 2022, Tobaiwa defected to former MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa's new party, the Citizens Coalition for Change, and was the fielded as the party's candidate in the Kwekwe Central by-election.[5] She won the by-election on 26 March 2022, becoming the first woman to serve as the Member of Parliament for the constituency since Zimbabwe's attainment of independence in 1980.[6] On her election, Tobaiwa said that the poor must benefit from Kwekwe's gold mines.[7] Tobaiwa was sworn in as a member of the National Assembly of Zimbabwe on 5 April 2022.[8][9]

In April 2023, Tobaiwa received the CCC's nomination to stand in Kwekwe Central at the 2023 general elections.[10] She retained the seat for the CCC at the general election.[11]

References
  1. "The Chronicle - Breaking news". Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  2. "Kwekwe deputy mayor dies". The Herald. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  3. "It's time for generational renewal: Tobaiwa". NewsDay. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  4. Majoni, Nyashadzashe (2020-10-10). "JUST IN: Kwekwe deputy mayor's daughter to represent MDC Alliance in by-elections". Zw News Zimbabwe. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  5. "Confusion grips new party". The Chronicle. 27 January 2022.
  6. Majoni, Nyashadzashe (2022-03-29). "WATCH| History-Making Judith Tobaiwa Thanks Kwekwe Central Over Poll Triumph". Zw News Zimbabwe. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  7. Nyambabvu, Gilbert (2022-03-28). "NEW MP: Kwekwe's Gold Must Benefit The Poor Not Zanu PF Elites". NewZimbabwe.com. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  8. "New MPs set for swearing in". The Herald. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  9. "NATIONAL ASSEMBLY HANSARD 5 APRIL 2022 VOL 48 NO 35". Parliament of Zimbabwe. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  10. Zimbabwe, New (2023-04-07). "Former Midlands mayors nominated in CCC's candidate selection". NewZimbabwe.com. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
  11. "CCC's Judith Tobaiwa romps to victory in Kwekwe Central Constituency Polls". Impact Stories Zimbabwe. 24 August 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2023.
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