THE Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) yesterday threatened to sue activists and other pressure groups for exposing discrepancies on the voters roll, with the electoral management body saying public disclosures containing people’s personal details are a security risk.
Zec has been under the spotlight after activists such as
Team Pachedu exposed massive irregularities including the alleged registration
of voters without known addresses and movement of over 170 000 registered
voters from constituencies without their consent.
Zec has, however, dismissed reports that the voters roll
was shambolic.
Independent election watchdogs and critics have said Zec’s
defensive stance without addressing stakeholder concerns on the voters roll
fuelled fears that the electoral management body had something to hide.
Opposition parties and other critics have gone further
saying the exposures lend credence to their fears of a plot to rig the March 26
by-elections and the 2023 polls.
Zec chief elections officer Utoile Silaigwana in a meeting
yesterday with the Misheck Mataranyika-chaired Parliamentary Portfolio Committee
on Justice, said public disclosure of the discrepancies on the voters roll was
illegal, and exposed voters to physical attacks.
He singled out Team Pachedu.
“First and foremost, it is important to note that most, if
not all, of the allegations that are being raised in the social media have not
been formally brought to the attention of the commission save through
unorthodox means,” Silaigwana said.
The meeting was held in partnership with the Southern
African Parliamentary Support Trust.
“A shadowy group called Team Pachedu has been at the
forefront of raising some of the allegations on social media, especially
regarding issues related to the national voters roll. The publication of
voters’ information on social media, as is now being done without seeking
clarification from the commission, is highly deplorable and puts voters at
risk.”
Silaigwana added: “As much as the national voters roll is a
public document, it is also a security document containing voters’ personal
details. Any abuse of it attracts legal consequences and the commission has a
duty to protect voters’ information which they supplied in confidence. The
advent of social media has exacerbated challenges related to security of
information of citizens.”
Early this week, the Zimbabwe Election Support Network
(Zesn) urged Zec to address stakeholder concerns on the voters roll to
safeguard the integrity of the polls.
In its recommendations, Zesn said the electoral management
body should allow the voters roll to be audited by independent data experts.
The country’s voters roll has been the subject of
contention, with stakeholders poking holes in the document.
“The commission is accountable to Parliament through the
Justice Committee and has engaged to give updates on electoral activities. Of
concern to the commission are the various allegations which relate to the
mandate of the commission that have been highly publicised in the social media,
which have a damaging effect of casting aspersions on the credibility of our
electrical process,” Silaigwana said.
Zec chairperson Justice Priscilla Chigumba condemned rising
cases of politically-motivated violence as the country marches towards the
March 26 by-elections.
On Sunday, a Citizens Coalition for Change supporter died
after he was stabbed by suspected Zanu PF activists during a rally which was
being addressed by party leader Nelson Chamisa in Kwekwe.
“The commission condemns and abhors in strongest terms such
acts of violence which have the effects of marring and negatively impacting the
electoral environment in the build-up to the by-elections set for March 26,”
Chigumba said.
“It is everybody’s responsibility to promote an environment
conducive to the holding of free and fair elections and a climate of tolerance
in which electioneering activities may take place without fear or coercion,
intimidation or reprisal.” Newsday
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