Betty Nhambu

Service/Career

In the 2013 Elections, (see A History of Zimbabwean Elections) Kuwadzana returned to Parliament:

• Lucia Matibenga of MDC–T with 8 564 votes or 61.31 percent,
• Betty Nhambu of Zanu PF with 4 345 votes or 31.10 percent,
• Kurauone Chihwayi of MDC–N with 960 votes or 6.87 percent,
• 1 other with 100 votes or 0.72 percent.

Total 13 969 votes

During the time she was MP for Kuwadzana West, Betty Kaseke introduced the Miss Kuwadzana pageant .^[2]

In the 2022 By-Elections, (see Zimbabwe By-elections (March_2022)) Kuwadzana returned to Parliament:

• Johnson Matambo of Citizens' Coalition For Change with 7 157 votes,
• Betty Nhambu of Zanu PF with 2 636 votes,
• Fatima Madamombe of MDC Alliance with 259 votes,
• Nesbert Mapfumo of UDA with 56 votes.

Events

Controversy

When she was MP for Kuwadzana West, Betty Nhambu Kaseke was accused by councillors of illegally parcelling out land and charging home seekers $30 per head.

Kaseke dismissed the allegations as a smear campaign. She said the councillors were the ones giving people land and making them pay $2 500 on the pretext that they would regularise their stay. Kaseke allegedly parcelled out more than 2 000 stands at Harare City Council farms and paddocks in Kuwadzana West constituency. Kaseke told The Herald that Saviour Kasukuwere, who was Local Government Minister at the time, had ordered the regularisation of the place when he toured the area. ^[3]

Victor Matemadanda Pregnancy Reports

In 2020 there were reports that Betty Kaseke was pregnant with Victor Matemadanda's child. In an interview, Kaseke dismissed the reports saying they were meant to tarnish her image and bar her from contesting in the Zanu-PF DCC elections which she won.

She said:

"I am a vibrant young politician in the revered ZANU (PF) National Women’s League. As you can see, I am not pregnant. I am a Christian, married woman and community leader. The rumours were part of a grand scheme to tarnish my image and that of the party I represent. There were attempts to bar me from contesting in the District Coordinating Committee elections which I eventually won and became Secretary for Women Affairs. There are also impending elections for Harare Province Interim Executive within ZANU (PF) and such rumours are calculated at tarnishing my image ahead of the plebiscite. This, however, can’t stop me from contesting for any position in the party."

^[4]

Accolades

2017 Top Community Leader of the Year by the Zimbabwe Business Awards Women’s Top Leadership Excellence Award and Business Development Award.^[5]

Dispute with Ratidzo Mukarati

It was reported that Kaseke and Mukarati almost fought during the Harare provincial coordinating committee meeting presided over by provincial chairman Godwills Masimirembwa and attended by members of the Central Committee, provincial executives, war veterans and both winning and losing candidates in the primary elections. When asked about it Betty said "This so-called chairwoman for Harare province who imposed herself on that position is getting out of hand and she needs to be stopped from intimidating people using senior people’s names in the party and soldiers. I have been quiet for a long time while she has been attacking and accusing me falsely, getting into my family affairs saying all sorts of nonsense about me and my husband. If l am wrong as she claims, what does my family affairs have to do with her or the party?”

But when Mukarati was asked about it she said “I don’t know what you are talking about. All what I know is that Kaseke is my MP and I am even campaigning for her,”^[6]

Further Reading

References