via More chaos hit Zanu PF elections 01/12/2013 NewZimbabwe
CHAOTIC scenes continued to dog Zanu PF provincial polls held across the country Saturday with shortages of voting material being reported in several areas.
While officials were putting up a brave face, the situation on the ground indicated otherwise.
Harare provincial chairman, Amos Midzi, insisted the polling had been smooth.
“We are on course and I am going to win. The elections are going on well and we should have all results in Harare by end of day today,” said Midzi.
He said areas that had not received voting material would have everything in “due course”
“We are making the necessary arrangements so that everyone who has a right to vote will do so. I have not received any reports of problems so far,” Midzi added.
Midzi was being challenged by youthful Mt Pleasant legislator Jaison Passade who would not be drawn into commenting.
“I’m busy, get in touch later,” Passade said.
However a visit to Sunningdale party District 2 revealed nobody had voted by 1pm while, at Mbare’s Stodart Hall, 75 out of 102 people eligible to vote had cast their votes by midday.
Said Zanu PF activist Gabriel Chaibva: “Zanu PF is the only democratic party in Zimbabwe capable of holding democratic elections. There will be no problems and I can assure you of that.”
At Kuwadzana 2’s Community Hall voting had not started as late as 3pm with a handful of people milling around.
An official said: “There are no presiding officers here. Voting material is here but the wrong presiding officer came.”
Another distinct feature of the elections was the presence of police in all stations visited. It was not clear whether the cops were on national duty or whether the party had paid for the services.
During the Zanu PF primary elections in the run-up to the July general elections state security officials used as polling officers complained of not being paid for their services as had been promised.
Police spokesperson Charity Charamba was not available for comment.
Zanu PF’s provincial elections in Manicaland, Mashonaland Central and the Midlands were marred by allegations of vote rigging and bussing of ineligible people to vote.
Political commentators say the elections are a test for the two main factions at war over who should take over the ageing President Robert Mugabe.
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Mugabe has been at the helm of the party that led Zimbabwe’s independence struggle for close to 40 years. He turns 90 in February.
Rival factions led by party deputy president Joice Mujuru and Justice Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa have been fighting for control of the party for years. The two leaders however deny any leadership ambitions.
COMMENTS
What do we epect??? They could not even organise a piss up in a brewery! And they want to run this country??!!
MY THOUGHTS ENTIRELY !!!
Mujuru is capable , but unfortunately she will be unseated by Tsvangirarai.
Capable of what exactly ??? As president she would simply be the mouthpiece of those actually controlling the country, think JOC, just as mugabe is.
The police asked for a hefty amount for policing the general election and are now doing the same function for free for ZANU pf. How much have they charged ZANU pf and was it paid.
My question is why is it something has to be ractfied on the day of elections why cant everything be ready when its suppose to be at least they knew where the polling stations where unlike the general elections when zec could not say where the polling stations would be and we ended with so many fake polling stations all over the country .SHAME SHAME SHAME.