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Walter Mswazie and Sydney Mubaiwa
Masvingo Mayor Councillor Hubert Fidze’s tenure at Town House is coming to an end after he was defeated in chaotic MDC-T primary elections held last Wednesday. Violent scenes marred the election.

A senior MDC-T official, Mr Farai Chinobva, who conducted the polls, was almost beaten up by angry party members. They accused him of imposing candidates and the polls only continued after the situation normalised.

This happened as the MDC-T consensus building meeting at Nyika Growth Point in Bikita convened to choose the party’s parliamentary and council candidates in the district was aborted. Some drunk party thugs disrupted the meeting.

In Masvingo Urban council polls, Cllr Fidze lost the right to represent the MDC-T in Ward 6 in the forthcoming harmonised elections after he was walloped by former Masvingo City councillor, Mr David Vasivenyu Chimombe.

The Masvingo mayor garnered 55 votes to Mr Chimombe’s 146. His deputy, Cllr James Chiwara, chickened out in the battle for Ward 3 where Mr Tarusenga Vhembo sailed through unchallenged.

Cllr Fidze conceded defeat, but bemoaned violence.

“I lost the election, but I am not happy with the way they were conducted. There was violence as disgruntled members threatened to beat up a member of the national executive conducting the poll. I admit that I lost, but the elections were not peaceful,” he said.

His deputy cited rigging. Cllr Chiwara accused senior party officials of imposing their preferred candidates in most wards.

In other wards, Mrs Margaret Chakabuda, widow to the late Masvingo Mayor Alderman Femious Chakabuda, won uncontested in Ward 10 while Ward 9 councillor Babylon Beta also sailed through uncontested.

The other successful candidates are Mr Selina Maridza (Ward 10), Mr Collins Maboke (Ward 2), Cllr Daniel Mberikunashe (Ward 5), Cllr Godfrey Kurauone (Ward 4), Cllr Richard Musekiwa (Ward 7) and Mr Martin Mureri (Ward 8).