via RadioVop Zimbabwe – Makarau Scuttles Opening Of Zim Ballot Boxes 6 November 2013 By Professor Matodzi
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has rejected a request by Jameson Timba, the MDC-T losing parliamentary candidate for Mt Pleasant constituency and the party’s secretary for international relations to open and examine election materials used in his constituency during the disputed July harmonised elections.
Timba, who lost the Mt Pleasant seat to Zanu PF’s Jason Pasadi wants the election materials as evidence to bolster his case in the election petition that he has filed in the High Court seeking an order to invalidate the election results.
But ZEC chairperson, Justice Rita Makarau, on Wednesday opposed Timba’s request and asked the High Court not to allow the re-opening of the sealed ballot boxes.
Makarau, who indicated that she had held a meeting with other ZEC commissioners and the organisation’s secretariat before preparing her opposing affidavit argued that opening of the Mt Pleasant constituency’s electoral residue would be cumbersome because of the “harmonised nature” of the elections as some packets containing the ballot papers may have been sealed in a presidential or local authority ballot box.
“How does the applicant effect his order without at the same time unsealing ballot boxes for elections that are not the subject of any legal challenge or any order of court for their sealing,” Makarau argued in her affidavit, a copy of which was seen by Radio VOP.
Last week, the electoral management body made a U-turn after its lawyers Nyika Kanengoni and Partners had initially agreed to a consent order with Timba’s lawyer Trust Maanda of Maunga and Maanda Legal Practitioners to re-open the ballot boxes.
Timba’s lawyers argue that ZEC announced that 18 092 people had voted in the July 31 elections while at the constituency centre it was announced that 12 165 voters had cast their ballots.
The former Minister of State in former Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s Office is also alleging that Mt Pleasant constituency was flooded with many police officers who voted in while they do not reside in that area. The MDC official believes that the voters roll and other election material will confirm the irregularities that he cited in his election petition which is set to be heard soon.
Apart from Timba, several MDC-T legislators are challenging results in some parliamentary constituencies in which Zanu PF representatives were declared winners in an election described as a “fraud” and a “farce” by Tsvangirai.
COMMENTS
Havanyari here mama kovanoti chokwadi pasadi haana here kuwina. Vhurai maboxes mama vhurai. Toda kuona .
She is a typical street woman, who will do her filthy business in full view of all with no shame!!! Mahure zvanoita zvakaoma!!!
Amazing… Absolutely Amazing……….
Next step, spontaneous combustion…?
confused street caw open them if you know they is nothing to hide
AM AFRAID TO OPEN THE PANDORAs bbbbbbbbbBOX! it contains worms!
Makarau needs to find a lot of courage quickly. Her latest actions reveal that she herself does not believe that the announced election results in Mount Pleasant were fair but she is afraid to order the ballot boxes opened. It may be that she has been threatened, but nevertheless her name will go down in history as a key player in defrauding the electoral will of the Zimbabwean population in 2013. Think about it Ms Makarau.
She can think about it but she doesn’t care about what History can say, it remains as history after all. Thieves will never care remember, murders don’t give a d**m.
Makarau you are guilty as charged by the very fact that you refuse to prove your innocence by opening the boxes you corrupt b*tch
hahahaha “you corrput b*tch” good one!
there is not better proof of the cleanliness of the election than to just open the boxes and let them see just how well they got beat…DONE DEAL. Even Timba is smart enough to know that.. and there is no better proof of hiding somethng than to refuse to open the boxes..
So, Makarau is trying to tell us the boxes have no labels indicating contents? Really? SIf that is the case, what harm would be done even if all boxes are opened in search of the truth?
Cumbersome—————– what kind of employment which is not cumbersome. Dont worry you won’t be asked yourself to open but just give an order for them to be opened. What of if we say MDC provides you with labour. Do you buy that one or what
I said it before and I will say it again. Just open the box. The election was free and fair or was it?
Cumbersome my foot! 18000*3 voting papers are cumbersome. How many papers that the ZIMSEC teacher who marks your kid’s exam papers handle in a day? What this woman is doing is giving flimsy excuses so as to buy time. That’s what they are good at. They will get all the time they need to doctor the ballot papers till they are exactly what they want and they will give Timba the go ahead.
The election material is kept in the event there is a dispute. So here is the dispute saka mavhure. If you say you consulted other commissioners , what do you mean.Mavakudya kuti Chinese ballot papers ava kubuda pachena.MUGABE the old election thief , oh sorry chief.
zvanga zvakapinda kunaka,but chero akahvurwa-igaroziva,vanhu ava imbavha mhani. hapana chinochinja.vakaba mavotes edu kanganiko vanhu ivava,tongofa hedu,madiamonds,mari chaiyo varikuba,Rita be professional dont take sides.
tswangirai endosed the appointment of this woman!!