THE results of the Hurungwe West by-elections face nullification if it is proven that the winning Zanu PF candidate, Never Keith Guzah, is not a registered voter in the constituency as is being alleged.
BY NUNURAI JENA
Guzah was declared winner after garnering 5 997 votes against independent candidate Temba Mliswa’s 4 255 votes.
Investigations by NewsDay showed that according to a voters’ roll provided to the contesting parties on June 5 2015, Guzah’s name did not appear.
Mliswa yesterday confirmed that Guzah’s name did not appear on the voters’ roll provided to him by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec).
Instead, Guzah’s name appears under Ward 10, Magunje constituency, where he contested the party’s 2013 primary elections and lost to Godfrey Gandawa.
According to Zec regulations, a person cannot contest in a constituency in which he or she is not a registered voter.
Contacted for comment yesterday, Zec deputy chief elections officer Utoile Silaigwana said in the June 10 by-elections, potential voters were only allowed to use voters’ slips if their names were on the voters’ roll.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
“In the June 10 by-elections, we did not allow potential voters to use voters’ slips unless their names appeared in the voters’ roll,” Silangwana said.
Mliswa’s lawyer Dunira Hungwe told NewsDay yesterday that they were already mooting a court challenge to have Guzah, who was sworn in on Wednesday, recalled from Parliament.
Guzah yesterday denied the allegations saying: “How could I have gone there (Hurungwe West) if I was not on the voters’ roll? Hey guys, there are bread and butter issues which we should be discussing.”
