By Jeffrey Muvundusi
People’s Rainbow Coalition (PRC) has expressed disappointment over unfair coverage from both the public and private media in a development the grouping said violates statutes of the Electoral Law which call for equal coverage.
The Southern African Development Community (Sadc) guidelines on the conduct of free and fair elections also demand that all political parties should receive equal coverage in the media.
Gorden Moyo, the PRC secretary general who accused the media of biased coverage said the electoral playing field is uneven, but quickly pointed that the opposition grouping will not boycott the polls.
“To us the electoral playing field is not even at all, but we are not going to boycott, we are going to participate in these elections and we are going to continue to register our displeasure and our discomfort about the electoral playing field,” Moyo said in an interview after PRC’s rally held at Tshabalala hall, in Tshabalala high density suburb here.
The Joice Mujuru-led coalition held three rallies in three constituencies over the weekend in the second city.
On being shunned by the media, Moyo said: “We are not covered like others. Today I am surprised that at least you (journalists from state and private media) are there.
“I don’t know whether this is tokenism or it is meant to lobotomise us, to make us happy.
“Otherwise most of our activities right across the country, we have these activities in the provinces and we are not covered and we are aware of that.”
“But we are not going to boycott, we are going to participate and force issues.
“We are going to ensure that we are there up to the end.”
The MDC Alliance accuses the public media of biased reporting, qualitatively and quantitatively in favour of the ruling Zanu PF.
The PRC is another coalition of five opposition parties that has chosen former vice president Mujuru as its presidential candidate.
The other opposition coalition, MDC Alliance is led by youthful MDC leader Nelson Chamisa.
The PRC brings together the NPP, People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Zimbabwe United for Democracy (Zunde), Democratic Assembly for Restoration and Empowerment (Dare) and the Zimbabwe Economic Freedom Fighters (ZEFF). DailyNews
