GIFT Konjana, a former Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) candidate in the 2018 harmonised elections, has won the Chegutu Ward 1 by-election under the Zanu PF banner after crossing the floor to the ruling party.
Konjana, who claimed in 2018 that he had been “robbed” of victory due to an alleged Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) error, narrowly defeated CCC-aligned independent candidate Elisha Dausi, polling 367 votes to Dausi’s 301. Charles Mirisau finished a distant third with nine votes.
Speaking after the results were announced, an elated Konjana said the outcome confirmed his popularity in Chegutu.
“This confirms that I am, and have always been, a popular politician in Chegutu,” he said.
In 2018, Konjana ran as a CCC candidate, but Zanu PF’s Dexter Nduna was declared the winner. Konjana maintained that the figures reflected his rightful victory. A ZEC official reportedly acknowledged the error but said the result could not be reversed administratively and advised him to seek legal recourse. The matter was never rectified, and Nduna served the full parliamentary term.
Frustrated with the CCC leadership, Konjana joined Zanu PF last year and was nominated to contest the Ward 1 by-election over the weekend.
Meanwhile, the by-elections were marked by low voter turnout, with 34,57% of registered voters casting their ballots in Chegutu, highlighting continued voter apathy in local polls.
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