ZANU PF has launched a momentous US$200 million general
elections campaign at the Harare International Conference Centre amid
revelations that several foreign governments, struggling parastatals as well as
slush funds and investments from the security establishment will illegally
contribute to the massive war chest.
Zanu PF insiders said the party has received huge funding
from the Chinese who have also helped fund its previous campaigns. The
Democratic Republic of Congo, sources said, had contributed millions, while the
Equatorial Guinea government and its First Family also chipped in.
“Part of the money above caters for vehicles, bicycles,
motorbikes and campaign regalia such as T-shirts, caps, cloth wraps, flags,
wrist bangles and other material such as torches, kitchenware and sewing
machines,” a senior Zanu PF official said.
Zanu PF insiders also revealed the security sector will
also play a key role in funding the party’s campaign.
“There are slush funds from Treasury and security
investments. This is key and includes paying for party candidates’ nomination
fees, allowances for polling agents. There will be three agents per polling
station: one inside, one outside and for relieving either the one inside or the
one outside. The fourth is paid for by the party or candidate and that, too, is
from donated funds,” a source said. “The security was also used to purchase
vehicles for each of the 210 constituency candidates, 60 senatorial candidates
and 60 women’s quota candidates.
“They did that from slush funds from Treasury and security
investments. This complements the party’s funds, but is more active this year
and is catering for all expenses for operational budgets. There are over 5 000
soldiers deployed countrywide.
“There are also special operations and all of them are
cash-based and the money is coming directly from Treasury. Other operations
include online (social media) engagement which is extensive this year and
involves one country in the Middle East and another Eastern Europe.”
Parastatals have also been forced to donate cash and
supplies and the resources will be used mostly for media campaigns on radio,
television and print media. Private companies and individuals have also made
contributions on top of the party’s official state funding, sources said.
Zanu PF officials also said the party intends to
extensively use civil servants and security officers as it had done in previous
elections to oil its campaign machinery.
“Some civil servants will be working for the party, but
will be paid by government. Government departments will also be utilised for
logistics and will provide vehicles and fuel in some cases,” a government
official said.
“Security officers will be deployed at every polling
station, like in previous elections. They will be disguised as polling or
election officers and will be given Zec (Zimbabwe Electoral Commission) badges
and identification. Their job is to monitor voting details and trends.”
Another official noted security officers will be assigned
to do all sorts of dirty jobs, including stuffing ballot boxes if necessary in
polling stations where the opposition has incompetent or no election agents.
“This involves security agents in civilian clothes and is a
major cost item and the source of ‘rigging’ in the sense of manipulating the
voting process in favour of Zanu PF. Many of these are recruited as Zec
officers.
“They do all sorts of things such as under-counting of
votes of the opposition (where the piles are supposed to be 10-10, the
opposition pile can have 15 votes counted as 10; conversely there can be
over-counting of Zanu PF votes where a pile of seven is counted as 10.”
In the just-ended Zanu PF primary elections, more than 6
500 police officers were unconstitutionally and illegally deployed to
participate in party processes.
Zanu officials said 420 government vehicles were also
deployed for the elections, while government fuel and other public resources
would be used illegally. zimbabwe independent
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