Zanu PF in ‘massive’ rigging exercise

By Lance Guma

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HARARE – With months to go before make or break elections the MDC-T has accused its main rival Zanu PF of conducting a ‘massive rigging exercise’ by ‘illegally’ loading voters from the anti-sanctions petition list into the official voter registration books.

Almost 2 years ago Zanu PF embarked on a campaign to mobilize people to sign what it called an anti-sanctions petition to have the EU and Western countries remove targeted sanctions on members and companies aligned to the Mugabe regime.

Many people were allegedly coerced into signing the petition including school children. Over 100 Zanu PF supporters even besieged Finance Minister Tendai Biti’s Harare offices demanding that he sign the anti-sanctions petition. Biti refused and they were later dispersed by police.

The MDC-T allege that Zanu PF is now “forcing hapless citizens to provide personal information with regard to identity numbers, residential addresses, ward, district, province, and telephone numbers” and that this ‘electoral fraud’ is being master minded by a team of about 3 000 members of the army.

A statement issued by the MDC-T on Wednesday claimed the “army personnel are following up on all the unsuspecting citizens appearing on the anti-sanctions petition list with a view to intimidating them to provide further details for registration and ultimately vote for Zanu PF in the coming election.”

The party also alleges that Zanu PF has diverted diamond revenue from Chiadzwa and built a war chest which includes 2 200 new vehicles sourced from China by former Ambassador to China Chris Mutsvangwa.

These ‘looted’ funds could have been used to pay civil servants better salaries or fund infrastructural development the MDC-T said.

Zanu PF is alleged to have “committed a huge financial resource for the purchase of the 700 hundred vehicles parked at the Zanu PF headquarters plus a further 1 500 vehicles stored at Manica Freight along Coventry Rd, in the Willowvale Industries along the Road from Colcom,” the statement read.

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