Biti claims Mudede created four different voters rolls for rigging purposes

By Tichaona Sibanda

HARARE – The MDC-T on Friday claimed that Registrar-General Tobaiwa Mudede has created three to four different voters roll databases, for the purposes of rigging the upcoming elections. 

Tendai Biti, the secretary-general of the MDC-T, told journalists at Harvest House that the notorious Israeli company Nikuv, that has offices in Harare, has been helping Mudede in manipulating the voters roll.

Biti said the way Mudede planned to rig was that on inspection, voters would be able to see their names on the roll but come election day, their names would not appear and they would not be able to vote.

‘To counter this, each party must sign off a voters roll that would be used on election day. As such its been two weeks since the closure of the voter registration exercise on the July 9th,’ Biti said.

He continued: ‘By now the RG’s office must have finished collation and consolidation of the voter roll and handed it over to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission.’

Biti explained that ZEC were therefore obliged to invite all parties contesting the poll to inspect and audit the voters roll, adding that the electoral body was also obliged to give the parties electronic versions of the roll.

‘We need copies that are searchable and analysable and not like in 2008 where we got CD copies that could not be used to analyse anything,’ Biti said.

With less than two weeks before the elections, Biti bemoaned the upsurge of violence perpetrated by known ZANU PF activists against their supporters.

He said in most of the cases that the party has recorded, their supporters had been able to identify their attackers and report them to the police, but nobody has been arrested.

‘We have noticed the rescucitation of militaristic bases used in 2008 spreading like wildfire throughout the country. We have also reported all of these cases to the electoral courts, but nothing again has happened. It appears this electoral court only appears on paper and nothing else,’ he said.

The MDC-T has also noticed violations of people’s rights by ZANU PF by forcing people to attend their star rallies, namely in Marondera, Chitungwiza and Chinhoyi.

All these rallies were addressed by Mugabe and in all the towns he has been to shops, market stalls, schools and all businesses were forced to shut down and people frog marched to attend the star rallies.

‘No one should be coerced to attend political rallies. This is because ZANU PF thrives on violence. The DNA of ZANU PF is violence and the centre of gravity for that party is violence and violations.

‘People have the right to freedom of assembly and expression and these should be respected by all parties including ZANU PF,’ Biti said. SW Radio Africa