By Takudzwa Changadeya
Potential voters in Mbare who don’t belong to Zanu-PF are allegedly being denied access to get registered in their locality by Zanu-PF youths who are manning Zimbabwe Electoral Commission’s (ZEC) centers in their community, BustopTV reveals.
This is happening at ZEC’s registration center at Vocational Training Center in Mbare, Harare.
Speaking to BustopTv, Norman Chadengu (not real name ) said Zanu-PF youths are manning the registration center, claiming that they own Mbare and everyone operating in Mbare Musika is forced to get registered in Mbare or risk being chased away from the market zone.
“ZRP came several times to disperse Zanu-PF youths who are disturbing ZEC’s operations, but they continue manning the registration center anyway.
“They are coercing all vendors in Mbare Musika to get registered in Mbare and also if they suspect that you belong to a certain political party which is not Zanu-PF, they deny you access to get registered. They are depriving people of their right to vote,” he said.
In a similar incident, CCC recently condemned incidents of intimidation being perpetrated by a Zanu-PF aligned organisation, called Forever Association of Zimbabwe (FAZ), at all Zimbawe Electoral Commission (ZEC) registration centers across the country.
FAZ is alleged to be forcibly confiscating voter’s information including registrants’ photos and their voter registration slips.
Addressing the media in Harare recently, CCC’s Election Directorate member Ellen Shiriyedenga said: “The illegal confiscation of the registrants’ information by FAZ agents is happening in full view of the ZRP and ZEC.
“FAZ mandate is to take personal voter information on behalf of ZANU PF, by taking photos of registrants and forcibly confiscating their voter registration slips in full view of the police and ZEC officials, for example, in Mbare Mabvuku, Glenview and Mbizo in Kwekwe,” she said.
In another similar incident three weeks ago, the party’s president Nelson Chamisa said junior ZRP officers were being threatened by senior officers to either vote for Zanu-PF or risk losing putting their selves in trouble.
The junior police officers alleged that they are being coerced to attend what they termed “the ruling party’s rallies” under the guise of training and they have been told not to vote for any political party other than Zanu-PF at this year’s general elections.
Speaking to this publication in response to Chamisa’s claims, Zanu-PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa said he wasn’t aware of that, and added that he sees Chamisa saying the same thing time and again.
“We don’t force anyone to vote for the party because it’s unconstitutional. If Chamisa feels like he also wants to campaign to both senior and junior ZRP officers, let him do so because there is nothing like that in our party,” he said.
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission chief elections officer Utoila Silaigwan told this publication that the commission wasn’t aware of that, therefore he couldn’t comment on the issue.
