Zanu PF has been accused of employing dirty tactics to win Mbare constituency including forcing vendors who reside in other suburbs but operating from the capital’s oldest suburb to vote in the area.
Zanu PF candidate Martin Matinyanya won the Mbare seat
after beating Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) leader Nelson Chamisa’s
brother, Starman.
Starman has rejected the results citing an unfair electoral
environment, among other irregularities as well as intimidation of voters.
A number of vendors who spoke to Standard said they were
forced to register as voters in Mbare by Zanu PF-linked space barons,
Zanu PF officials provided the informal traders with
documents indicating residency in Mbare, they said.
“We were forced to register to vote in Mbare by those that
control the vending areas here,” said one vendor who identified herself as Mai
Machuma.
“They said if we failed to register we would lose our
vending spaces.”
Another vendor said: “We got a directive from those that
communicate on behalf of the space owners saying they had been told to tell us
that we should register to vote in Mbare so that we maintain our spaces.
“We were told that we were supposed to vote for musangano
(Zanu-PF).”
In October last year, Zanu PF and Citizens' Coalition for
Change (CCC) activists fought over control of vending spaces in Mbare’s
Mupedzanhamo market.
Information gathered by this publication revealed that open
spaces in Mbare were rented on a daily basis and belong to mostly Zanu PF
members.
Tenants rent tables or spaces at a US$5 fee daily.
Council has failed over the years to effect order at Mbare
markets.
Zanu PF space barons have been powerful in determining who
gets what, where, in relation to space.
According to data analysts, Team Pachedu, the Zimbabwe
Electoral Commission (Zec) illegally changed the final Mbare delimitation
boundaries resulting in the movement of 7,514 voters from an opposition
stronghold area of Mbare to Southerton and replaced them with Zanu PF
non-resident mass transfers.
Starman blamed his loss on the activities of the Zanu PF
space barons.
“People who were not even on the voters’ roll were allowed
to vote,” Starman said.
They had a different voters’ roll, which had cell numbers
and addresses of vendors.
“Vendors were forced to come in groups with their assigned
chairpersons, who would then mark their names on the day of polling before they
cast their votes.”
Zanu PF acting information director, Farai Marapira,
dismissed claims of rigging
“Zanu PF does not comment on rumours. We only respond where
there is evidence,” Marapira said.
“Anyone can say anything, but it does not make it true. If
there is no evidence then it’s simply gossip.”
CCC has refused to accept election results and is pushing
for a fresh poll supervised by the Southern African Development Community and
the African Union.
Zanu PF insists that there is no re-run and says it is now
preparing for President Emmerson
Mnangagwa’s inauguration. Standard
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