The opposition MDC led by Nelson Chamisa on Saturday cancelled intended elections in Masvingo after violence had erupted.
The Zimbabwe Mail reports that the chaos started when Mr Munashe Bande allegedly grabbed ballot boxes and tried to run away with them. The publication also reports that Bande was caught by members of the rival group who brutally assaulted him.
The election then degenerated into chaos as members of rival groups confronted each other resulting in some members sustaining injuries.
The cancellation was confirmed by the party national executive member Mrs Magie Chakabuda. She said:
I was late for the elections because of other commitments elsewhere and by the time I arrived, party members were already on their way home. So I did not witness anything.
The election comes after Chamisa recently disbanded the party’s Masvingo provincial structures following a heated debate that was attributed to the recent loss in the Mwenezi West by-election.
The party’s Masvingo provincial leadership has often been accused lacking strategies on how to win elections against the ruling ZANU PF with some saying the main issue was that most of the officials in Masvingo reside in Harare and they periodically visit Masvingo.
More: The Zimbabwe Independent