Source: ‘We will not leave polling stations until results are announced’ – NewsDay Zimbabwe June 19, 2017
TRANSFORM Zimbabwe leader, Jacob Ngarivhume, has threatened to mobilise opposition supporters to stage overnight vigils and refuse to leave polling stations next year before announcement of election results as part of measures to guard against Zanu PF’s rigging machinery.
BY SILAS NKALA
Addressing a National Electoral Reform Agenda youth rally in Bulawayo on Saturday, Ngarivhume said opposition parties ought to go the extra mile to safeguard their vote by demanding transparency in the whole electoral process.
He also urged the electorate to partake in the new voter registration process yet to be officially launched by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec).
“The last point to tell you is that when we go to vote in 2018, listen, even if we grand stand and insult (President Robert) Mugabe here, it will not help,” he said.
“The only way we can remove Mugabe is through going to vote. Next year if we go to vote we will not leave the polling stations until the results are announced. You remember that year when the resulted were not announced for two months and this time we will not leave the polling station until they are out. We will not leave until Mugabe is gone. We will fight to the end.”
Addressing the same gathering, MDC-T vice-president Thokozani Khupe threatened to cause mayhem and stop the elections if registered voters discover on polling day that their names are not on the voters’ roll.
“We will be inspecting the voters’ roll and once one of our members discover his or her name missing, we will stop those elections because it will be a sign that it is being rigged,” Khupe said.
She also blasted Zec over its alleged bias towards Zanu PF and challenged it to treat all parties as equals.
COMMENTS
No negotiations are entered into when those “Brutes” from Chikurubi and Fairbridge Camps are released unleashed upon you!!!
That won’t help. Waiting for results at the polling station. The last time, in the middle of the counting,polling people were suddenly locked up in the counting centre even though less than a quarter of the votes were counted. Then suddenly results were announced…. The agents were only released many hours later……
Maybe if a large percentage of the voters stay to observe and keep an eye on things…..
Zanu PF rigs by inflating the results of ZPF like 2002, where a small settlement in Uzumba recorded 19000 occupants for ZPF. In Manicaland and other rural settlements, ZPF, military, CIO will stuff boxes and bring in un recorded and in numbered boxes like in 1990, 2002, 2008 and 2013, ZRP will be there. Thus why since 1985, CIO and military intelligence get promoted to senior ranks in order to beef up the rigging and intimidation machinery. Can one explain why in 2008 June/August election, why RGM results were fastly announced yet in March 2008, it took them over a month to announce. Same people and same constituency? All people must watch that between now and the elections. RGM will promote several military and several security personnel into the ranks of brigadier, major generals, colonel and superintendent, commissioners and other ranks. WHY? Opposition must now stop those promotions, call for observers, if no UN, EU and NATO monitors involved, then forget the change. AS SURE AS THE SUN RAISES FROM THE EAST AND SET IN THE WEST, ROBERT GABRIEL MUGABE will rig, it will be shame to participate. Another endorsement of ZANU PF shame regime rule. BETTER STAY OUT.