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Mliswa alleges Guzah withheld car theft conviction from Zec

Politics
THE Hurungwe West by-election saga took a new twist yesterday amid allegations that Zanu PF winning candidate Never Keith Guzah withheld details of his previous conviction for motor vehicle theft to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission

THE Hurungwe West by-election saga took a new twist yesterday amid allegations that Zanu PF winning candidate Never Keith Guzah withheld details of his previous conviction for motor vehicle theft to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec).

BY NUNURAI JENA

The fraud details emerged after Temba Mliswa, who lost the election after contesting as an independent, applied for nullification of the results citing four electoral irregularities.

According to papers filed under case number EC05/15, Mliswa wrote that besides allegations that Guzah was not a registered voter at the time the Nomination Court sat, the newly-sworn MP also failed to disclose that he was once convicted for theft of a motor vehicle where he was identified as Never Phiri.

Mliswa’s lawyer Dunira Hungwe confirmed the latest exposé in his court papers yesterday.

“Yes, we filed papers for the nullification of the Hurungwe West by-election results and besides the now common cause that Guzah fraudulently refrained from advising the Electoral Commission that he was once convicted under the name of Never Phiri,” Hungwe said.

Pressed to disclose the dates of the conviction and sentence, Hungwe said that would be revealed in court. Hungwe said they also cited massive electoral malpractices that included voter intimidation during the campaign period right up to the day of elections and the politicisation of traditional leaders, which was rampant.

Zec chairperson Justice Ritas Makarau this week admitted that Guzah was not a registered for Hurungwe West and his name appeared on the Magunje voters roll.