Shantiel Chiwara

Shantiel Yeukai Chiwara
Mayor; Shantiel Yeukai Chiwara; Miss
Preceded by	Collen Maboke
Succeeded by	Aleck Tabe
Personal details
Born	Shantiel Yeukai Chiwara; Masvingo
Citizenship	Zimbabwean
Nationality	Zimbabwe
Political party	Citizens Coalition for Change
Parents	Jameson Chiwara
Residence	Masvingo
Education	Victoria High School, National University of Science and Technology,
Alma mater	National University of Science and Technology,
Occupation
Known for	Being the youngest and first female Mayor of Masvingo

Shantiel Yeukai Chiwara, also known as Shantel Chiwara, is a former Mayor of Masvingo City. She made history by becoming the first female Mayor of Masvingo, and at the age of 25, she was also the youngest person to hold this position. Chiwara won the majority of votes, securing 11 out of the 13 votes cast by councillors, defeating Sengerayi Manyanga, a ZANU councillor from Masvingo Urban, who received two votes. She was elected to the position on 19 September 2023. However, she was on October 18, 2023, recalled by Sengezo Tshabangu, who claimed to be the interim Secretary-General of the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC). Tshabangu argued that Chiwara no longer belonged to the party she had represented in the elections. As a result, Mr Aleck Tabe, a CCC councillor for Masvingo's Ward 4, was elected as the new mayor.

Personal Details

Born: 1998.

Her father Jameson Chiwara is Masvingo's former deputy mayor. Jameson Chiwara was elected deputy mayor in 2013 after beating Zanu PF's Garcia Mundondo by polling 6 votes against 4 votes. He served until 2018.

School / Education

Chiwara attended Victoria High School from Form One to Form Six. After completing high school, she went on to study at the National University of Science and Technology (NUST). In 2021, she graduated from the university with a Bachelor of Commerce degree, specializing in Banking and Investment Management.

Service / Career

Before being elected as Masvingo Urban Ward 2 councillor and later Mayoress, Chiwara worked as a customer service teller at Steward Bank. Prior to that, she was a bank teller at the People's Own Savings Bank (POSB).

Chiwara became involved in politics at the young age of 15. Initially, it was just something she did casually, but as she continued to engage in political activities, she developed a strong passion for it and a desire to bring about positive change. However, her journey in politics has been challenging, especially as a woman. She faced difficulties when assuming positions within her party, as the environment was not always fair for women. When she was chosen to represent her party, she felt a mix of excitement and fear because it was a completely new experience for her.

In 2013, at the age of 15, Chiwara was appointed as the Movement for Democratic Change - Tsvangirai (MDC-T) secretary for branch 5 (Ward 2), which was known as Ward 3 at that time. She later became Ward Secretary, District Secretary for Tourism, and eventually the Masvingo Provincial Secretary for Gender. In the elections held on 23-24 August 2023, Shantiel Yeukai Chiwara won the Masvingo Ward 2 Council seat with 2,287 votes,
Benson Hwata of Zanu PF received 1 304,
Anderson Paradza of MDC-T received 21,
Charity Shoko of DUZ received 17.

On 19 September 2023, Shantiel Yeukai Chiwara (Cllr Ward 2) was elected the first female Mayor of Masvingo. She was also the youngest Councillor, at 25. She received 11 votes against Sharon Murombedzi (Zanu PF) who received two votes.

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