ADELAIDE, Australia — A Zimbabwean-born mayoral candidate in Australia has pleaded guilty to electoral fraud on the day his trial was set to begin for attempting to manipulate the 2022 Adelaide City of Marion council election.

Jaison Midzi, 44, of Seacombe Gardens, was arrested in July 2024 after an investigation revealed that he had submitted fake ballot papers while contesting for the mayoral seat.

According to The Advertiser, Midzi pleaded guilty in court on Monday to 10 counts of dishonestly exercising a vote at an election or poll under the Local Government Act 1999. Another 16 charges were withdrawn, bringing an end to a case that has gripped Adelaide’s Zimbabwean community for over a year.

The Electoral Commission of South Australia (ECSA) launched the probe a day before polling in November 2022, after detecting 490 suspicious declaration envelopes allegedly lodged by the same individuals. The commission said it took swift action to safeguard the integrity of the election process.

Similar voting irregularities were also uncovered in West Torrens and Adelaide’s Central Ward, where a court earlier this year nullified the election of Councillor Jing Li after finding “illegal practices” involving postal ballots linked to foreign students. Li, however, was not accused of any wrongdoing.

Midzi, a former Citizen of the Year nominee, told reporters outside court not to “misinform” the public and said he would issue a full statement after his sentencing next month. He faces a maximum penalty of one year in prison or a $5,000 fine per count.

Before the scandal, Midzi had established himself as a community advocate, having served as Chairperson of the South Australia Zimbabwe Association in 2018 and running as an independent candidate in the seat of Gibson during the 2022 South Australian state election.

He also previously contested as a City of Marion councillor in 2018 and was known for promoting multiculturalism and pan-African unity on social media. In one post on X, he wrote: “One Africa is what we want. The borders came from your greedy Europeans.”

During his earlier campaign, Midzi featured in a music video with the Diversity Music Collective, dancing in front of the Marion council chambers and singing, “Thank you all for trusting me.”

His sentencing is scheduled for next month, marking a dramatic fall from grace for a once-celebrated community leader now convicted of undermining the democratic process.