VOTING in the Wedza North by election was yesterday marred by a poor turnout with most polling stations looking deserted for most of the day.
BY JAIROS SAUNYAMA
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) officials said elections started on time at 7am with no incidents of violence reported in the low key poll.
Voters were trickling in to vote in the morning. The only long queue of voters witnessed by NewsDay was at Scorer Farm in Ward 2 where Zanu PF candidate David Musabayana cast his vote.
At Chop Chop business centre, Makwarimba and Wedza High School, polling officers spent the greater part of the day relaxed as a few voters turned up.
It was also business as usual at Wedza centre with people going about their day to day chores. Most people interviewed by NewsDay said they were not interested in the by-election as they were busy looking for money to buy food and send children to school.
A total of 143 people had cast their ballots at Wedza High School by 5pm, while 181 had voted at Chemhanza primary School. The Wedza seat fell vacant following the death of Simon Musanhu who was also the Deputy Minister of Environment, Water and Climate.
Musabayana, who was tipped to win by a landslide after the main opposition MDC-T boycotted the poll, was competing against Nyarai Manhimanzi of Freedom Front Party, Tichaona Makara of Transform Zimbabwe and Chikungwa Mudzingwa of the National Constitutional Assembly.
