Region Southern Bulawayo Member(s) David Coltart | Created 1914 Founded 1914 | |
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Party Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai | ||
Bulawayo South is a parliamentary constituency of the Zimbabwean House of Assembly located in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. The current member of the House of Assembly for Bulawayo South is Eddie Cross, a member of the Movement for Democratic Change. Notable former members include David Coltart, who in the 2008 election moved to the Senate.
About the constituency
Bulawayo South is located on the southern end of the city of Bulawayo. It is a predominantly black working-class area, with some middle and upper class areas. The working-class area is centered around the Bulawayo suburbs of Nketa and Emganwini and factories as well as other industrial buildings can be found in the Belmont and Donnington industrial area. Prior to the 1990 election the constituency was one of the 20 white minority constituencies. Over the past decade the constituency has developed into a stronghold of ZANU-PF and Robert Mugabe opposition. The MDC has become a dominant presence in Bulawayo South and in 2000 saw the ZANU-PF candidate suffer a heavy loss of 51.6% of the vote. In the 2005 election, however, the ZANU-PF made a small, but significant gain, while the MDC lost over 8,000 votes due in large part to poor voter turnout in the 2005 general election. The decline in support from 2005 to 2000 can also be attributed to constituency redistricting. David Coltart has remained a key member of the MDC as one of its highest ranking members. Coltart is currently the MDC's Secretary for Legal Affairs and the Shadow Minister for Justice and Legal Affairs.