27 March 2022
Prosperity Sikhosana
Jeremiah Harrison
Angeline. V Mahachi
The March 26 by-elections took place yesterday, characterised by heavy downpours in most parts of the country.
In Bulawayo in particular, the heavens opened up around 5 am and continued pouring heavily up to around 7 am the polling stations opening time. This led the low turnout of voters at various polling stations.
In Ward 12 (Njube and parts of Lobengula suburbs) had voters coming in pairs. Areas such as Mtshede Primary School and Nyamande, still in Njube suburb, there were no queues at all.
At Helemu Primary school polling Station, a Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) agent reported that she had been denied entry because she did not carry a vaccination card. After various complaints, she was let in.
In an interview with Zim GBC News, at Mtshede Primary School Gogo Nhliziyo said she has never seen such a low turnout of voters.
In Ward 8 in Mzilikazi’s McDonald Hall, by 8:30 am only 13 people had cast their votes for a ward of 644 registered voters.
At Magwegwe Youth Club Ward 18 in New Magwegwe Zim GBC News crew arrived at around 9:30 am and still voter apathy reigned.
There were only 27 people who had cast their vote.
At Ntshamathe Primary School Polling Station, still in Old Magwegwe suburb people were now trickling in but in low numbers, thirty people had cast their vote by 10 am.
At Old Pumula, Godhlwayo Primary, this news crew had a torrid time as Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) refused the camera woman to shoot her videos.
The ZRP officer claimed to have been instructed by the Presiding officer not to allow taking of videos.
It is the only Polling Station that displayed a sign that read:
‘SWITCH OFF CELLPHONES.’
66 voters had managed to choose a representative of their choice at this Polling station where Kucaca Phulu was vying to retain his Parliamentary seat that he lost when he was recalled by Douglas Mwonzora’s MDC-T party.
The news team proceeded to Pumula South Suburb where the number of voters had improved at Dumezweni Primary School polling station.
It was now midday.
266 voters had placed an x beside their desired candidate. This polling station is part of the constituency where Kucaca Phulu intends to retain his seat.
In a brief summary of events in other provinces or parts of the country, majority of areas also reported low turnout due to voter apathy.
In Gwanda, the elections presiding officer Rabson Nyoni reported 554 people had voted against 1 736 registered voters. 78 were turned away and 43 people were redirected for various reasons.
In Beitbridge, at around 6PM, 1116 people had cast their vote.
“In Glenvie North, Glen Norah everything went well despite a bit of skirmishes where some people had no IDs and some individuals wanted to enter polling stations without the requisite documents. Some wanted to enter polling stations clad in political parties regalia. However, all this was resolved.”
At Hellenic Polling Station in Mt Pleasant (Ward 7), a high number of registered voters were turned away on the basis that they did not appear on the voter’s roll.
Back in Bulawayo, Emganwini’s Senzangakhona A polling Station a voter was turned away because their name was missing on the voter’s roll. However, when checking using the *265# mobile system check, their names appeared showing that they are still registered at the station.
The matter was not resolved.
At Mhandu Polling Station in Epworth, voters queried why ZEC officers were ‘forcing’ them to write their names, phone numbers, ID numbers and other personal information before they could enter the polling Station.
This was a measure taken to accommodate contact tracing in case of Covid-19 infections or outbreak at the particular polling station.
It was the members of the Red Cross who were observing Covid-19 protocols.
The exercise was done despite the claim that the Red Cross officers could not record temperatures because of a broken machine.
Accusatory messages were the order of the day as contesting parties threw jeers at each other.
CCC spokespersons Gift Ostallos Siziva and Fadzai Mahere reported that their agents manning Mhandu Polling Station were chased away by the police.
Nick Mangwana the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services accused the opposition party CCC of rigging the election.
This was after Tendai Chirau posted pictures of lorries carrying passengers claiming to be driven by CCC. He captioned it:
“Pseudo Democrats of our time, the opposition are experts at gerrymandering. In Harare’s Ward 16, they register people from areas outside the ward. They transport them and assemble them at their base, Mudavanhu’s house in Haig Park and later take them to vote. The picture below shows Johana Mamombe’s car and one of the trucks being used to lorry people.
“Some kombis are also being used for the same purpose. One of the drivers of the kombis has been taken to police and he confessed that he was hired to ferry people from Hatcliff to Mabelreign.”
Ironically, CCC also reported that Zanu-PF candidate in Ward 7 Mt Pleasant brought in lorries and lorries of voters.
In the meantime Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) said the results will be communicated at Ward and Constituency level.
In a press conference at ZEC Headquaters in Harare, Chief Elections Officer Utoile Salaigwana said:
“For this election, the results are declared at two points. There is a Ward election, the ward election result is declared at the Ward collation Centre. Then the Constituency results are also declared at the Constituency results centre so strictly speaking there is no national result centre to announce those results because they are supposed to be announced at the various constituencies.”
ZEC spokesperson Commissioner Jasper Mangwana said there are “rigorous processes” which needed to be fulfilled to the full satisfaction of stakeholders hence ZEC is not in a position to give a date of when the results will be announced.
Results coming in show the new Baby Citizens Coalition for Change has taken the lead in many wards and Constituencies.
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