By A Correspondent

As questions grow over the whereabouts of Zanu PF’s winning candidate Zvarevashe Masvingise, it is the losing candidate, Gift Gonese, who has remained visible and active in Gutu East, winning praise from villagers for staying committed to development work long after the campaign trail cooled.

Masvingise, who won the June 14 by-election, has allegedly gone silent since his victory, with some villagers claiming he has “disappeared” and failed to return to the ground.

“We haven’t seen him since the election. It’s like he vanished. We’re beginning to worry about whether he will really represent us,” said a resident from Ward 12.

Meanwhile, Gonese, who came second in the by-election, is pressing ahead with community development projects, including water access initiatives, youth empowerment programmes, and agricultural support schemes.

Speaking on Friday, Gonese reaffirmed his commitment to Gutu East:

“We are reviving our projects in the constituency and this time on a higher trajectory.”

While Gonese lost to Masvingise in a three-way race that also featured Zivanai Nzvenga of the National Constitutional Assembly (NCA), he has refused to retreat from public service—prompting many locals to label him the “people’s choice in action.”

“Politics aside, we just want development,” said a villager in Ward 14.
“Gonese has shown us that he is still with the people, and that matters. He didn’t disappear after the votes were counted.”

Analysts say Gonese’s post-election engagement offers a refreshing counter-narrative to Zimbabwe’s political culture, where many candidates disengage from their constituencies once elections are over.

“This is what leadership should look like—service that isn’t dependent on a title,” said a local community development officer.

With Masvingise yet to publicly respond to the criticism or outline his post-election plans, some are beginning to question whether winning an election is enough, or if continued presence and service are what truly define political leadership.

As the dust settles from the by-election, all eyes remain on Gutu East—where the winner is absent, but the runner-up is leading from the ground.