Bikita West by-election gazetted

By Farayi Machamire

Government has gazetted the January 21 Bikita West by-election in which President Robert Mugabe and his former vice president will lock horns.

The gazette, issued last Friday, also announced the chief elections officer and also gazetted candidates’ names.

The government gazette, published in Statutory Instrument 21, appointed Maxwell Mashavave the constituency elections officer.

The seat fell vacant following the recall of Munyaradzi Kereke who was convicted of rape and is currently serving a 10-year jail term.

“The constituency elections officer’s address for purposes of the by-election shall be Bikita Public Service Training Centre, Nyika Growth Point, Bikita,” the gazette says.

Six candidates successfully filed their papers at the Nomination Court that sat at the Masvingo Magistrates’ Courts in November.

The Joice Mujuru-led Zimbabwe People First and Zanu PF’s Beauty Chibaya are touted as frontrunners.

The seat is also being contested by the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA)’s Murdock Chivasa and former MDC MP for the constituency, Heya Shoko, who will be contesting as an independent.

Completing candidates vying for the post is independent candidate Innocent Muzvimbiri and Progressive Democrats of Zimbabwe (PDZ)’s Terrence Makumbo.

Now only a few weeks away, political temperatures have been rising in the constituency which has seen clashes between Mujuru and Zanu PF supporters. Daily News