ZEC breaks silence over Chamisa’s rigging allegations

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Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) is not moved by Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) leader Nelson Chamisa’s “threats” to expose their ‘rigging plans’.

ZEC dismissed Chamisa’s allegations as unfounded and vowed to proceed with preparation for by-elections.

This followed after Chamisa told his supporters at campaign rallies in Bulawayo and Gweru that his party had put in place strategies to make sure the commission does not rig elections in favour of Zanu-PF.

In an interview with NewsDay on Tuesday, ZEC spokesperson Joyce Kazembe said the electoral body would continue to do its work properly without being intimidated.

“We have heard several times that the CCC has people now working within ZEC, and we cannot dispute that because we don’t have the evidence. But ZEC would not be threatened by CCC in any way. We will continue doing our work as per the Constitution of Zimbabwe.”

Recently, activist group Team Pachedu exposed several irregularities within the voters roll, including the illegal transfer of more than 170 000 voters from their wards, among other anomalies.

Kazembe said the document was only a draft tempered with by Pachedu.

“The leaked voters’ roll was just a draft and not the final one because people were still registering and we have not yet released the actual voters roll at the moment. The citizens should wait for the final voters’ roll that will be published by Zec,” Kazembe said.

ZEC allegedly fired its members from the information technology department accusing them of leaking the voters roll to Team Pachedu.

CCC deputy spokesperson Gift Ostallos Siziba said: “It’s a clear indication that Zec manipulated the voters’ roll, but Zec is not a partisan organisation and it must never be controlled by Zanu PF. We expect Zec to correct the anomalies within the voters roll.

“As the government-in-waiting, we have new strategies to expose Zec and more people are yet to be fired,” Siziba said.

—Nehanda Radio