Zanu-PF gears for reruns in Masvingo,Chiredzi wards

ZANU-PF here has started preparing for primary election reruns in three wards in Masvingo and Chiredzi districts to choose candidates for Local Government elections ahead of harmonised elections slated for July this year.

The ruling party’s National Elections Commission ordered a rerun of Local Government elections in wards 10 and 30 in Masvingo District and Chiredzi Town’s Ward 4 following disturbances that marred voting in the recently held primary elections.

Voting failed to take place to choose Zanu-PF’s council candidate for Masvingo South’s Ward 30 after violence broke out.

In Chiredzi’s Ward 4 and Masvingo Urban’s Ward 10, the results were contested after it emerged that names of some aspiring Zanu-PF councillors were missing from the ballot papers, while cell registers were shambolic.

Zanu-PF Masvingo Provincial chair Cde Ezra Chadzamira yesterday confirmed elections rerun in three wards, but said the polls will be to vote for council candidates only.

“We are preparing for primary elections rerun in three wards where people will vote for councillors only following reports that the voting exercise was either flawed owing to missing names of candidates and cell registers or did not take place at all because of violence,” he said.

“At the moment we do not have exact dates when the rerun will be held, but chances are high that it will be this weekend in the three wards,” he said.

Cde Chadzamira said the rerun will not affect the final list of the party’s winning House of Assembly candidates in the province’s 26 constituencies.

“The list of House of Assembly winning candidates will not change together with those who were victors in senate, women quota and provincial council polls. Voters will only be choosing councils candidates in the impending re-run,” said Cde Chadzamira.