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Samantha Chigogo Herald Reporter
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission has started registering voters ahead of three by-elections for Marondera Central, Mbire and Mwenezi East parliamentary constituencies.

President Mugabe has proclaimed September 19 as the date for the polls.

The seats fell vacant following the expulsion of Messrs Ray Kaukonde (Marondera Central), David Butau (Mbire) and Kudakwashe Bhasikiti (Mwenezi East) from zanu-pf.

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The three were kicked out of the ruling party in June for their links to the Joice Mujuru putschist cabal whose nefarious plan to topple President Mugabe from power at the zanu-pf 6th National People’s Congress last December was exposed.

Zec chairperson Justice Rita Makarau said in a statement yesterday that the voter registration exercise in the three constituencies would run concurrently with the inspection of the voters’ roll.

“The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission would like to inform the general public that it shall be registering new voters who are Zimbabwean citizens who reside in Marondera Central, Mbire and Mwenezi East constituencies,” she said. “The current constituency voters’ rolls will lie open for inspection by those already registered to vote in the said constituencies. The voters’ roll inspection and registration will be conducted between July 6 and August 1, 2015.”

Justice Makarau said in Marondera Central, the exercises will be carried out at the Zec provincial offices and the electoral body’s Marondera district offices while in Mbire the venues are the Zec provincial offices in Bindura and the Zec Guruve District office.

In Mwenezi, voter registration and voters’ roll inspection will take place at the Zec provincial offices in Masvingo and the Zec Mwenezi district offices.

“The Commission will use the voters’ rolls that were used during the 2013 harmonised elections as the basis for the exercise. Persons whose names already appear on these rolls will not be re-registered,” said Justice Makarau.

By-elections have already been conducted in Headlands and Hurungwe West constituencies after zanu-pf expelled former legislators Mr Didymus Mutasa and Mr Temba Mliswa respectively for their link to the cabal that sought to unconstitutionally remove President Mugabe.

Other by-elections were also recently held in 14 constituencies after the opposition MDC-T disowned its legislators who had joined the splinter Renewal Team. zanu-pf won all the by-elections.