Gutu registers highest ZANU-PF primary election candidates

Gutu (New Ziana) – A total of 162 aspiring candidates for ZANU-PF local government primary elections have registered to take part in the weekend poll in Gutu, the highest number in any district in Masvingo province.

The party is conducting primary elections for parliament and local government at the weekend, ahead of general elections expected around mid-year.

The primary elections have attracted huge interest in Gutu, particularly among women. Under the current term, Gutu has five women holding local government positions out of 41, but this looks set to increase if the number of aspiring candidates in the primary elections is anything to go by.

Ten female aspirants will be on the ballot sheets this weekend in the district, some entering the fray under the Women’s Quota system.

So overwhelming is the interest in the primary elections that candidates that failed to beat the deadline for submission of applications on March 11 had to go to the provincial capital, Masvingo, to do so.

The picture was the same elsewhere in the province, and the country at large, which analysts say reflected the popularity, and confidence in the party among the electorate.

New Ziana