via Irregularities plague Zanu-PF elections | The Herald November 11, 2013
IRREGULARITIES and allegations of vote-rigging once again plagued Zanu-PF elections in Mashonaland Central Province, raising the spectre of troubles that beset recent elections in Manicaland and the Midlands provinces. Incumbent chairman Cde Dickson Mafios was squaring off against Cde Luke Mushore.
Voting, which was supposed to be conducted in one day on Saturday, was extended to yesterday and even then six districts still failed to vote.
Voting was still outstanding in Mt Darwin East, Chimanja, Guruve, Kemutamba and Nyahunzvi A and Nyahunzvi; Mazowe South and North, Eskbank and Galloway.
Arrangements were being made to ensure voting is conducted in the outstanding districts.
There was confusion with some districts being told on Saturday that they would vote yesterday, but when people turned up, other officials stopped the process saying voting was supposed to take place in one day.
Among the irregularities cited were incomplete and fake registers that prompted accusations of rigging as it emerged once again that Zanu-PF had failed to conduct elections in one day.
While rival candidates were peddling different figures last night, presiding officers said official results will only be released once all districts have voted.
“We are still counting the ballots and we expect to have completed the process by tomorrow (today),” Cde Francis Nhema, who was the presiding officer, said.
“There were a few challenges that were experienced, especially related to transportation of materials, but overally the process went on well.”
When The Herald visited the province on Saturday, it was clear there were problems as some voters spent almost the whole day standing in queues without voting.
Those not patient enough ended up abandoning the queues to pursue other things.
In Manicaland, Cde Monica Mutsvangwa withdrew her challenge to incumbent Cde John Mvundura citing irregularities and allegations of vote-buying and other underhand deals.
Voting was also extended to more than one day in the province, contrary to provisions governing the holding of the elections.
Cde Mvundura was declared the winner of the Manicaland chairmanship
The problems were the same in the Midlands where incumbent Cde Jason Machaya was declared winner against Cde Larry Mavhima.
Elections for Mashonaland West province that were supposed to be held at the same time with those in Manicaland and the Midlands were postponed after irregularities were noted.
Elections for the remaining seven provinces will now be held simultaneously at a date to be advised following a resolution passed by the party’s Central Committee at its meeting last week.
The provincial elections were being held in preparation for the party’s Annual National People’s Conference to be held in Chinhoyi next month.
COMMENTS
“Irregularities plague Zanu-PF elections”. No change there then !!!
What goes around!!! Chasara kuti idodonye mazai ayo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
These guys couldn’t run a warm bath, let alone a free, fair and credible election. Zim is doomed
Once a thief, always a thief.
The election has happened. What was extremely outstanding was the peaceful nature in which the elections were held. As we speak right now there is virtually no sign that there is a dispute on the ground from the ordinary people. Zimbabweans decided that enough is enough and they chose to elect a government they wanted as peaceful as they could and their desire was to move on with our lives. I think Zimbabweans were tired of a system that was acrimonious and driven by interests other than their own.
The white people want to be compensated for loss of use of land and improvements on it but they have consistently refused to apologise for enslaving Africans in America and elsewhere, they have never accepted the concept of reparations, and they never paid the Africans for developing America, so why should we be asked to pay them for land they forcibly took from us? I think what Zimbabwe did by taking the land back and by embarking on indigenisation and making sure that the wealth of the country gets back into the hands of the people is misunderstood but is morally, socially, culturally economically and politically correct. Very often when we say that, the assumption is that we are saying there is no space for a white person here, NO, we have simply said we want our people to be in control of the resources of the country. If there is anyone else who is interested in investing in Zimbabwe, can they invest in structures in the hands of our people and they are free to do so up to 49% of the value of that company or investment so chosen, and what is wrong with that? I cannot think of any country in the world that has given half of its wealth to foreigners like we have done in Zimbabwe. So it is part of balancing out as far as we are concerned. But you must understand that this whole thing is not just economic; it is social, cultural and so on, we still have to deal with the influence of western countries in terms of radio, television, cultural, education programmes and so on because until we see these things from an Afro centric perspective, we will continue to live in Africa but with a very foreign mind-set and this creates a perpetual problem in dealing with hard political, economic, social and cultural issues that bedevil Africa today.
They need to invite SADC observers and Nikuv. Where is the precedence of running smooth election set by Justice Rika Karau (Makarau for what).
Unbiased herald reporting rigging, irregularities, factionalism…..it is true, this world is not our home
I don’t know why anyone gets excited about voting in Zimbabwe – it makes no difference, either today or at anytime over the last 33 years. Zanu cheated the electorate at the first one and have continued to do so ever since. Democracy is not in their vocabulary.