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George Maponga in MASVINGO
VOTING ended peacefully in the Gutu West National Assembly by-election, which was marked by high voter turnout yesterday, while vote counting commenced last night, with results expected in the early hours of this morning.
Gutu West was the only constituency that did not hold National Assembly elections on August 23 and 24, as polling had to be suspended after one of the nominated contestants, Mr Christopher Mutonho Rwodzi, an independent candidate, died in a road accident just before the plebiscite.
ZANU PF’s Deputy Secretary for Youth Cde John Paradza; Mr Ephraim Morudu of CCC; Mr Robson Kurwa of NCA; and Mr Sebastian Mudzingwa, an independent candidate, were vying for the seat.
Yesterday morning, Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) chairperson Justice Priscilla Chigumba visited the constituency command centre at Matizha Primary School, as well as some polling stations, to check on the voting.
Cd Paradza cast his ballot at the primary school around 2pm.
In an interview with The Sunday Mail after voting, Cde Paradza hailed the flawless voting.
He also said he was confident he would prevail.
“I am very satisfied with the way voting has been progressing since morning. We have not received any report of violence or any hitches, and the process has been very peaceful.
“And I want to commend ZEC for delivering a clean and peaceful poll,” he said.
Speaking soon after voting ended at 7pm, ZEC constituency elections officer Mr Augustine Musasa said counting had started.
“Voting has closed at all polling stations across the constituency, with no single reported case of violence, and now, vote counting has started, with results expected to be forwarded to the ward collation centre before being relayed here at the constituency election centre,” he said.
There were long queues when voting began at all 53 polling centres across 10 wards in the constituency.
However, by 3pm, most of the queues had disappeared.
An elderly woman, Ambuya Florence Dube, of Mbamba resettlement area, said she was happy to cast her vote.
“I have voted and I am happy that it only took me a few minutes to cast my ballot,” she said.
Another elderly woman, Gogo Plaxedes Kweza from Ward 7, who came in a scotch cart to vote, said: “I woke up early to come here and cast my vote because this is the only way I can defend the land that we repossessed from white settlers who colonised our country.”
Bongani Ndlovu