Mutasa ready to spill the beans on how Zanu PF rigged elections

HARARE – Zimbabwe’s former Presidential Affairs Minister Didymus Mutasa is ready to expose in court, how his former party, Zanu PF, rigged elections in 2008 if the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) approach him for help.

“Even Mugabe said it at congress (that the MDC-T won by a landslide). Am I not saying something that has been said before? The president of Zanu PF had said it before. When I met Tsvangirai several times, he always told me about it.

“Three months ago, I met Tsvangirai and he said it again. If the MDC-T approaches me, then I will consider that matter (to stand as a witness),” Mutasa is quoted saying.

Mutasa was the Zanu PF Secretary for Administration and the MP for Headlands before he and several other senior officials were expelled for allegedly supporting the presidential ambitions of former Vice President Joice Mujuru.

MDC-T spokesman Obert Gutu is quoted saying they were prepared to use the information coming from Mutasa in their efforts to lobby the African Union, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and even drag Zanu PF to court over the rigging claims.

“The revelation from Didymus Mutasa merely confirms what we, as the MDC, have always known. In fact, we did not narrowly win the 2008 harmonised elections. We won those elections with a landslide of well over 73%.

“Mutasa’s confession simply solidifies our conviction to ensure that the electoral playing field in Zimbabwe be evened up in order to produce free and fair elections that will give rise to legitimate results,” Gutu said.

“We will use this information in our ongoing peaceful and democratic struggle to convince Zimbabweans and, indeed, all peace-loving people within Sadc, the AU and the entire universe, that the Zanu PF regime is illegitimate. For as long as it lacks political legitimacy, this regime will never ever be able to turn around the economic fortunes of Zimbabwe.”

Gutu, however, could neither deny nor confirm Tsvangirai’s meetings with Mutasa.

“I am not in a position to comment on who my president meets and what it is they discuss. He has a spokesperson,” Gutu said.

Tsvangirai’s spokesperson Luke Tamborinyoka was not available for comment.

Last week Mutasa said he and others in Zanu-PF were “absolutely shocked” when the parliamentary election results were released in 2008. The MDC won narrowly.

“I immediately drove, at speed and alone, from my home in Rusape, to State House in Harare. I was terrified, I had to go and protect the president from harm as we were frightened Tsvangirai would do what he said he would do and march to State House. If he had, no policeman would have stopped him.

“Instead,” Mutasa laughed, “Tsvangirai went to Botswana.”

Gutu however disputed this version of events.

“Morgan Tsvangirai did not flee the country after the 2008 elections. Surely, matters of a security nature cannot be divulged in the public domain. Do you know that practicing politics in Zimbabwe, particularly opposition politics, is a very high risk activity? Don’t you know that Big Brother is always snooping and watching every move that you make? Come on, my brother!” Gutu said.