Thousands of Zimbabwe voters turned away at polls

Zimbwabwe polling agencies at Zengeza 3 high school in Zengeza outside Harare. Picture: Matthews Baloyi/Africa News Agency (ANA)

Zimbwabwe polling agencies at Zengeza 3 high school in Zengeza outside Harare. Picture: Matthews Baloyi/Africa News Agency (ANA)

Published Jul 31, 2018

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Johannesburg - Close to 2 000 people were turned away from voting in Masvingo province by 11.30am on Monday as their names were either not on the voters’ roll or they had reported at wrong polling stations, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commision (ZEC) said. 

NewsDay reported on Tuesday that ZEC provincial elections officer, Maxwell Ncube, stating that out of 113 784 voters who cast their ballots by 11.30am, 1 725 were turned away as they did not appear on the voters’ roll.

Counting began in Zimbabwe on Monday in the first election since the removal of Mugabe, a watershed vote that could pull a pariah state back into the international fold and spark an economic revival.

The election is a two-horse race between 75-year-old Mnangagwa, a long-time Mugabe ally, and 40-year-old Nelson Chamisa, a lawyer and pastor who is vying to become Zimbabwe's youngest head of state.

Mnangagwa is viewed as the frontrunner, though the latest opinion polls showed a tight race. There will be a runoff on September 8 if no candidate wins more than half the votes.

African News Agency (ANA)

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