04 January 2022
Prosperity Sikhosana
Vote buying is a mechanism that lures a voter by a candidate through undue influence.
Vote buying takes many forms such as monetary exchange or goods exchange.
Renowned Lawyer, influencer and public speaker Professor Lumumba says this about vote buying:
“In Europe during elections, they go around kissing babies and appearing to be nice whilst in Africa, they go around distributing rice and maize appearing to be nice.”
Lumumba continues to describe the way politicians impoverish the general public that places them in power only to remember them towards elections with just two kilograms of rice, sugar, flour and cooking oil.
It has become a norm in Zimbabwe that politicians from the stages such as councillors to ministers take it upon themselves to distribute food parcels in exchange of votes.
A significant example of a candidate who was buying votes is Ezra Chadzamira the Minister of State for Masvingo who was vying for Zanu-PF chairmanship of Masvingo Province and was using one Mugandani as one of his front man.
This Mugandani is seen in a video trending online requesting for votes while in his hands he carries two (2) kilograms of rice, flour, sugar and 750 millilitres of cooking oil.
While this glaring act of vote buying was for a party position, the act goes against moral ethics, party constitution and Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) legislation.
Professor Jonathan Moyo urged:
“When ZEC conducts free and fair elections as a matter of course, in accordance with the Constitution of Zimbabwe (2013), the Electoral Act, Electoral Regulations and ZEC Manual for Electoral Officers, everyone wins and when everyone wins Zimbabwe wins. To get there, #Disband Zec.”
Many of the public agrees with Prof. Moyo.
Mugandani’s trending asking for votes is because Zanu-PF was conducting elections countrywide for the Provincial Committees.
There was widespread infighting as party rivals vied for positions and were seen using various means of coercing voters such as vote buying as was evident with Chadzamira.
There was infighting over the elections until the party was forced to issue a statement to the effect that,
“The 358th Ordinary Session of the Politburo which set as the National Elections Directorate of the Party dissolved all the outgoing ten provincial executives and nothing has changed so far, except that we had susscessful provincial elections to choose new executives,” read the statement.
The politburo seems to be undergoing deliberations on the outcomes announced. The results, they said, remain “provisional and preliminary” and will be announced on the wisdom of the Politburo.
The public has pointed on various occasions saying “Zanu-PF should not get too excited” as the upcoming 2023 harmonised elections might not be easily won by food parcels.