08 April 2022
Prosperity Sikhosana
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) is in the middle of a storm, obviously for all the wrong reasons.
ZEC seems to have the knack to habitually and continuously disappoint Zimbabweans.
This comes after several serious breaches of the electoral act were brought to the fore by the country’s electoral watch dogs, best amongst them, Team Pachedu.
Team Pachedu is an organisation comprising of academics, lawyers, Information Technology experts and individuals who have tasked themselves to find out what is happening at ZEC.
Team Pachedu has unravelled serious shortcomings at ZEC that comprise amongst other, double registration of an individual on the voters’ roll, more than 20 registered voters residing in one address and moving of voters from one ward or constituency without the voter’s consent.
The then main opposition party, MDC-T, and many citizens have accused the Zanu-PF party of winning using a flawed voters’ roll.
The latest debacle which was revealed by Newsday are allegations of issuance of voters roll with pictures to Zanu-PF candidates only.
The just ended March 26 by-elections were characterised by black and white ballot paper for all contesting candidates.
The opposition and the political watch dogs bemoaned this as it would affect the identity of contestants.
Party colours and symbols were not visible despite the fact that ZEC had been allocated adequate funds to run the by-election.
ZEC could have easily printed a colourful ballot paper.
Instead the current voters’ roll resembled a National Identity card.
Thus, NewsDay released an article on the 6th of April stating accusations labelled against ZEC issuing a Voter’s Roll with colour pictures to Zanu-PF candidates only.
To this ZEC responded with a statement saying;
” Response on Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to Allegations on Issuance of a Voter’s Roll With Pictures to ZANU-PF “
“The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission wishes to deny the allegations reported in the Newsday newspaper of the 6th of April 2022 to the effect that it issued a voters roll with colour parties to Zanu-PF candidates while denying the same to the opposition.”
ZEC labelled the allegations as malicious and as an attempt to distract the Commission from its constitutional mandate.
This was after Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) Binga North Legislator Prince Dubeko Sibanda claimed that Zanu-PF’s Victoria Falls local authority candidates for the March by-elections, Musa Ncube and Kudakwashe Mavula Munsaka were given copies of voters roll with colour images.
Dubeko Sibanda was quoted as saying:
“While ZEC always denies the opposition access to the voters roll with pictures, it clandestinely released it to Zanu-PF in the just ended by-elections. ZEC should be disbanded,” said Dubeko-Sibanda.
However ZEC has reported in its statement that it did not issue such a Voter’s roll to Zanu-PF.
“The Commission does not discriminate against any of its stakeholders on the issuance of voters’ rolls and challenges all to prove it otherwise. All stakeholders are urged to verify their facts before publishing inaccurate and misleading information. The commission remains committed to discharging its constitutional mandate without fear or favour.”
Every time there is an election ZEC, which had been accused of being an unfair referee who sides with Zanu-PF. Many parties have worried of ZEC’s lack of impartiality.
Team Pachedu reported that;
“In Mutasa South, ZEC moved two urban polling stations on the eve of the election and this affected a thousand of voters where CCC has a lot of support. CCC lost by only 549 votes but this has not yet been challenged and ZEC might get away with it…”
Advising the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change, Team Pachedu stated that, according to the Electoral Act section 168 (2), an election partition must be presented to court within 14 days after the end of the election.
The opposition has three days remaining to challenge the “gross electoral malpractices and irregularities.”
While ZEC irregularities are being exposed, the most glaring and disturbing is when Dexter Nduna, a Zanu-PF losing candidate for Chegutu West Constituency was declared a winner by a ZEC election officer when figures show that he actually lost.
Till date Nduna is still a serving Member of Parliament and the matter was never resolved.
Citizens Coalition for Change
spokesperson Fadzai Mahere has said that the CCC lawyers are working on collating evidence and acting on the legal opinions they have received.
Majority of citizens have passed a “vote of no confidence” on ZEC.
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