CHINHOYI Municipality is in the spotlight after declaring a council seat vacant, resulting in the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) setting a by-election date before the matter is finalised by the courts.
A by-election is set for August 2 after the local authority declared ward 14 seat held by deputy mayor, Chipo Mlotshwa, vacant after she was convicted of fraud involving a residential stand scheme on May 5 this year. She was sentenced to 30 months in prison.
Acting town clerk Simon Marara wrote to Zec on May 6 declaring the ward vacant.
Zec then set August 2 as the by-election date.
Mlotshwa, however, successfully appealed against conviction and sentence.
NewsDay heard that Zec ignored a follow-up letter from council dated May 21 advising the electoral body of the appeal.
Zec Mashonaland West deputy election officer Shadreck Chokoto said the municipality was to blame for the confusion. “That’s not our problem,” he said.
“We called for a by-election after receiving a letter from the town clerk declaring the ward vacant.”
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Chinhoyi mayor Owen Charuza threw the town clerk under the bus.
“The person who wrote to Zec advising it about the vacant ward without proper consultation will know what to do when two councillors are elected,” the mayor said. “But what we know is that Mlotshwa is still the councillor until the appeal is heard.”
In 2018, Zec Mashonaland West blundered in Chegutu West elections following what they said was a clerical error.
Zanu PF’s Dexter Nduna was announced winner despite losing the election to Gift Machoka Konjana.
The anomaly was attributed to a clerical error on the part of Zec.
