ZANU PF has exposed its alliance with the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) after the ruling party revealed that it would use the voters roll to verify its members’ registration status in the upcoming voters’ roll inspection exercise.
A leaked Zanu PF party internal memo seen by NewsDay shows
that the ruling party has ordered its grassroots structures to ensure that
every member who appeared in the party cell registers is in the voters roll during
the upcoming voters roll inspection exercise.
Zec yesterday announced that voters roll inspection will
begin on Saturday and end next Wednesday.
The commission’s deputy chairperson Rodney Simukai Kiwa
recently told NewsDay that it would not avail the voters roll to the public
until President Emmerson Mnangagwa proclaims the date for the upcoming
elections.
But in a letter dated May 19, 2023 copied to Zanu PF vice-president Kembo
Mohadi, chairperson Oppah Muchinguri, secretary for administration Obert Mpofu
and spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa, national political commissar Mike
Bimha directed party provincial
chairpersons to ensure that party members who appeared in cell registers, but
were not in the voters roll are registered as voters during the voters roll
inspection exercise.
During the process, Bimha said Forever Associates Zimbabwe
(FAZ) and Heritage Trust constituency co-ordinators would help in the
registration verification process.
FAZ and Heritage, linked to Central Intelligence
Organisation and Military Intelligence Corps, respectively, ran the party’s
recent primary elections.
“The Zec voters roll is polling station-based, making the
cell structure the most important organ in mobilising members for inspection
for this programme to be a success, cell chairpersons and a team comprising
cell main wing political commissar, cell women’s league chairwoman, cell youth
league chairperson and a war veteran at each polling station should be
responsible and account for each member in the cell registers,” Bimha said in
the memo.
“Provincial command centres should assist in ensuring party
members whose names do not appear in the Zec voters roll are registered without
fail.”
Zec chief election officer Utoile Silaigwana said the
electoral management body would not comment on party issues.
He said the voters roll that was being used by political
players had been obtained during the March 26, 2022 by-elections.
“I do not comment on what happens within political parties
because I am not part of them. On the issue of the voters roll, we have always
said everyone who contests in an election has access to the voters roll and
they are given it for free at the nomination court. So if that person has
access to the voters roll and uses it in whatever way they like, where does Zec
get in?” Silaigwana said.
But Bimha told NewsDay that the party would use the voters’
roll to verify the registration of its membership because Zec has the mandate
to avail the voters roll during such exercises as the voters roll inspection.
“The directive was in preparation of the upcoming voter
inspection process. We will be using the Zec voters roll to verify. There is an
inspection, so they will avail the voters roll for us to see which of our
members is not registered to vote. Zec
is required to ensure that the people have inspected the voters roll. Now that
Zec has published the dates for the voters roll inspection, we are going to
write to our members to inform them about that so that they start the
preparations,” Bimha said.
Opposition Citizens Coalition for Change raised concern
over the different dates for the voters roll inspection exercise which had been
scheduled for May 26 before it later changed to May 27.
“We would appreciate it if you could provide the correct
details for the upcoming voter inspection exercise. Your initial advertisement indicated that the
process would run from May 26 to 30, but a subsequent advert has different
dates,” CCC said.
“As this is an essential exercise for citizens in
preparation for the August 2023 elections, kindly share the accurate programme
details with the public.” Newsday
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