Urbanites bitter over election results

Zanu-PF Manicaland provincial chairperson Mike Madiro has expressed pleasure at the election results as urbanites slid into depression as rural voters swayed the election against the MDC Alliance.

Zanu-PF has won 19 of the 26 National Assembly seats in the province to the dismay of opposition supporters who thought they had done well to dislodge the ruling party.

MDC Alliance won Chipinge East and West, Dangamvura-Chikanga, Mutare Central, Mutasa South and Central and Makoni North but failed to make a mark in Buhera, Nyanga and Chimanimani districts.

Speaking to Eastern News, Madiro said the results that many are disputing without proffering evidence of manipulation were credible and a reflection of the will of the people.

"We are satisfied with what is coming out as the elections were done in a peaceful environment and people managed to vote according to their will," Madiro said.

The results had, however, left MDC Alliance sympathisers distraught and disinterested in the complete election even before all the results had been announced.

"These results are shocking and I wonder if the numbers we are getting even tally with the number of registered voters in these areas," one local who refused to be named said.

James Kimbini said he sensed rigging although he could not prove it.

"To be honest I don't think these results are credible but I don't have anything that I can point to as having gone amiss," Kimbini said.

This has been the general sentiment in a snap street survey by Eastern News in Mutare yesterday.

Politicians across the province had also not raised any objections to the electoral process before the announcement of results commenced. In an interview after polling, MDC-T candidate Lynette Mudehwe — who lost to Prosper Mutseyami — said voting had gone smoothly and she was yet to receive complaints about how the elections were managed.

"It was okay. I voted at Nyamauru Primary School soon after 7 in the morning and it took me less than five minutes to go through the process. Women with children were being given first preference and so were the elderly.

"It is, however, difficult to monitor all the 85 polling stations but so far I've not heard any complaints," Mudehwe said.

Independent candidate Hosiah Chipanga said the elections were professionally handled and applauded residents and voters for having gone through the process peacefully.
"It was professionally managed and way better than previous elections. They should have always done this before. The process was also very peaceful and I liked the fact that there were also well-organised and smoothly run polling stations," Chipanga said.

Elsewhere in Manicaland province, the elections went without much incidence.

In Chimanimani East Zanu-PF's Joshua Sacco said he had no complaints.

The situation was calm and the turnout impressive.

One of the few concerns came from Chipinge South where MDC Alliance local government candidate Patrick Dhliwayo expressed concern that hundreds of Green Fuel employees could have been disenfranchised owing to the company's decision to operate on polling day despite it having been declared a public holiday.