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Three nabbed over by-elections offences

A MUFAKOSE, Harare, woman was on Saturday arrested for using her sister’s identity card to vote in the just ended by-elections. 

Elizabeth Chinyoka, 37, was charged with impersonation when she appeared before a Mbare magistrate. 

It is alleged that on March 26, Chinyoka went to Crowobrough sewage works polling station on Mufakose, to vote in the by-elections. 

She allegedly produced a national identity card in the name of Zvanyadza Chinyoka who is her sister and she was given two ballot papers and she voted and left.

Allegations are that after 30 minutes, the real Zvanyadza Chinyoka went to the same polling station to vote and she was told that she had already voted, but she denied that.

She was questioned and stated that it could have been her sister who had used her identity to vote, leading to her arrest. 

In another case, one Tafadzwa Mupanguri from Highfield was arrested for allegedly using Zvikomborero Mupanguri’s identity card while voting in the by-elections in Highfield East constituency.

It is alleged that he produced the identity card to a polling officer who told him that it did not belong to him.

He insisted it was his, but he was arrested and searched and was found in possession of a birth certificate in the name Tafadzwa Mupanguri.

In another incident, one Tendai Artwell Gonye was arrested in Mabvuku for chewing a ballot paper.

It is alleged that Gonye went to Simudzai Primary School to vote in the Ward 21 local authority election and he was given a voter’s slip to vote.

He allegedly went into the voting booth and marked his ballot paper and came out without placing the ballot paper in the ballot box.

He was reportedly stopped by cops at the polling station and was advised to place the ballot paper in the ballot box.

He allegedly refused and became violent before putting the ballot paper in his mouth and chewed it and threw pieces of the left ballot paper on the ground.