[lightbox link=”http://www.zimeye.com/http://www.zimeye.com/wp-content/live_images/2015/05/makarau.jpg” thumb=”http://www.zimeye.com/http://www.zimeye.com/wp-content/live_images/2015/05/makarau-412×203.jpg” width=”412″ align=”none” title=”makarau” frame=”true” icon=”image” caption=””]The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission ZEC has officially admitted that   the newly elected Hurungwe West legislator Keith Guzah was not a registered voter and was not even eligible to vote on the Election Day. 
Guzah reportedly beat Independent candidate Temba Mliswa in the June 10 by-elections which the  latter has contested saying they were marred with violence and various other irregularities. The contestation came after Mliswa alleged that he was not allowed to campaign  in the constituency during the run up to the election. According to Mliswa, Guzah used repressive state apparatus to bar Mliswa from accessing the electorate. Guzah did so with the assistance of government.
Human rights organisations   such as the Zimbabwe Peace Project and the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights recorded cases of violence against Mliswa and his supporters in Hurungwe West  before the by-elections. Even the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission  acknowledged the violence which was perpetrated by ZANU (PF) against  Mliswa. In a statement Monday after Mliswa had complained that Guzah was not registered to vote in Hurungwe West ,the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission chairperson Rita Makarau said although it was true that Guzah did not appear on  Hurungwe West voters’ roll his name was initially there before he transferred to Magunje.
“On 23 March 2015, he lodged an application with the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission at its Head Office Voter Registration Centre, based at Quantum Mahachi Building, to transfer his registration as a voter from Magunje to Hurungwe West. The V3 Form setting out his application for transfer of registration as a voter bears Serial Number 010599A and is available for inspection to all interested parties.
ZEC said: “On the basis of the above transfer, Keith Guzah was duly nominated as a candidate for Hurungwe West on 08 April 2015 when the nomination court for that by- election sat. “Notwithstanding that he had transferred his registration as a voter to Hurungwe West; Keith Guzah’s name was not electronically updated on the voters’ roll for that constituency because of a transposition of the block numbers relating to his old and new registrations.
“His old block number was captured as his new block number and the transfer was therefore not effected on the computer. He was retained on the voter’s roll for Magunje.  “On polling day, Keith Guzah was denied the right to vote as his name was not on the voter’s roll for Hurungwe West”.