CHAOTIC scenes characterised the Zanu PF district co-ordinating committee (DCC) elections at the weekend amid allegations of vote-rigging, burning of ballot papers and violence in most parts of the country.
The ruling party held its DCC elections in eight provinces
in the country except for Harare and Bulawayo.
Zanu PF chairperson Oppah Muchinguri was scheduled to address the Press yesterday
evening over the elections, but she was in no-show after journalists waited for
several hours.
Acting party spokesperson Patrick Chinamasa, who was locked
in a meeting late last night, could not immediately comment.
However, chaotic scenes dogged the DCC elections in most
parts of the country with contestants almost trading blows.
In Mutare, there were riots after some party members burnt
ballot papers following allegations of rigging and vote-buying.
A vehicle that was supposed to deliver ballot papers in
Mutare broke down in Marondera on Saturday, which delayed the process.
Four candidates, Binali Yard, Clever Muparutsa, war veteran
Ivan Mbengo and the outspoken Cecilia Gambe were competing for the Mutare
chairperson’s post. Names of some candidates were missing from the ballot
papers.
Some Zanu PF supporters, who commented on condition of
anonymity, said the elections were not free and fair due to massive rigging
with some party members voting without identity cards.
“There is a massive shortage of ballot papers, just imagine
there is a ward with 349 registered voters and the ward only received 47 ballot
papers. We decided that the ballot papers must be burnt,”the party member said.
“In ward four, people are voting at least five or six times
with some agents reportedly keeping ballot papers in their pockets and
receiving bribes from some candidates to help them rig the elections,” he said.
At one time, Gambe threatened to pull out of the race,
citing incidences of multiple voting. In ward four in Sakubva, there were
reports of people voting without identity cards, while some presiding officers
were accused of taking bribes.
Voting started late at some polling centres such as Mutare
Junior, Beit Hall in Sakubva, and Mutanda Primary School as ballot papers were
delivered late.
A rowdy group in Sakubva ended up burning ballot papers due
to disgruntlement over the manner in which the election process was being
handled.
However, Zanu PF Manicaland secretary for administration,
Kenneth Saruchera rubbished the rigging allegations.
“The problem is that some candidates are just cry-babies,”
Saruchera said. In Marondera, some voters abandoned the polls because the names
of their candidates of choice were missing from the ballot paper.
In Hurungwe, new ballot papers had to be brought in after
the initial lot were rejected because the names of some candidates were
missing. A new set of ballot papers was collected from Harare overnight.
There was also drama at Chikangwe in Karoi when an aspiring
candidate for the chairmanship post Franko Ndambakuwa almost assaulted Shepherd
Marime, a youth member from a rival camp.
Ndambakuwa, a war veteran, had to be restrained by other
party members. In Mashonaland Central, the voting process progressed into the
night amid concerns that this would impact on the smooth running of the
elections.
A contestant in Chiredzi, Tarusenga Makamba, a former ward
three councillor, had his name missing on the ballot paper, yet it appeared on
the voters roll.
Some voters were given plates of sadza and drinks in ward
four in a suspected case of vote-buying. In Matabeleland North, voting started
late and heavy rains disrupted the process. Newsday
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