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Luthando Mapepa Manicaland Correspondent
THE tussle for Chipinge Central seat finally ended with the incumbent Cde Ray Machingura winning resoundingly at the third time of asking.

Re-runs for the seat had to be conducted three times to determine zanu-pf’s candidate for the forthcoming harmonised elections.

The third re-run of the primary poll was held on Sunday.

The re-runs were authorised after Cde Machingura’s closest rival, Cde Dorothy Mabika, complained about violations of rules in some wards in the constituency. Chipinge Central primaries had initially failed to take off owing to a horde of challenges, chief among them, the decision on who was eligible to vote or not since cell registers were allegedly tampered with.

This saw the zanu-pf commissariat calling for fresh elections in wards 6B, 8 and 9 after a fresh verification exercise had been conducted on the registers.

Cde Machingura beat Cde Mabika with over 700 votes compared to the 450 votes he had garnered in the nullified elections held prior to the final poll.

Cdes Moses Tasa and Shepherd Mutingwende were the other contestants vying for the Chipinge Central seat.

In an interview after results were announced, Cde Machingura called for unity among all zanu-pf members ahead of the watershed elections expected to take place in two months’ time.

“I am happy that the people of Chipinge Central have spoken and elected their favourite candidate,” he said.

“To those aspiring candidates who did not make it I say let’s unite and fight one common enemy since we belong to one family,” said Cde Machingauta.