Online Reporter
George Maponga-Masvingo Bureau
ALL is set for voting in the Gutu East parliamentary by-election tomorrow, with the Zimbabwe Elections Commission (ZEC) saying everything was now in place.
The candidates are Mr Zivanai Nzvenga of NCA party, Cde Zvarevashe Masvingise of Zanu PF and Mr Gift Gonese an independent candidate.
The by-election will be held following the expulsion of Mr Benjamin Ganyiwa.
Mr Ganyiwa was voted legislator in the 2023 harmonised elections on a Zanu PF ticket.
ZEC Masvingo provincial elections officer Mr Maxwell Ncube yesterday said all was set for voting tomorrow.
“All is ready for voting in tomorrow’s by-election in Gutu East where ZEC has set up 56 polling stations with voting kicking off at 7am and closing at 7pm across the constituency,” he said.
“Training of polling agents and deployment of voting material to all polling centres was completed today (Thursday).”
Mr Ncube said the run-up to polling day was devoid of any glitches and everything was in place for the people of Gutu East to freely choose their new legislator.
Mr Earnest Mukwidzo will preside over the poll as the ZEC constituency elections officer.
The command centre for the constituency will be at Alheit Mission High School in Gutu East.
“We expect to start counting of votes soon after polling closes at 7pm and it is our hope that we will have final results late on Saturday or early Sunday morning,” said Mr Ncube.
Zanu PF’s campaign machinery was deployed to Gutu East to garner support for its candidate Cde Masvingise as the ruling party eyes a landslide victory.
Several high-octane rallies were held across the constituency by the ruling party that were headlined by senior Politburo and Central Committee members and members of the party’s provincial executive led by party chair Cde Rabson Mavhenyengwa.
National Political Commissar Cde Munyaradzi Machacha presided over the party’s biggest campaign rallies in Gutu East to campaign for Cde Masvingise.
The ruling party’s star rally was held on Wednesday at Kurai Primary School in Ward 16 where Cde Machacha was the guest of honour.
