The Herald (Zimbabwe)

ZEC reports MDC threats to police

belong to the people of Zimbabwe. So please help us to make the process straightfo­rward and something that we can all be proud of.

- Tichaona Zindoga Political Editor

THE Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) says it is taking threats against its staff seriously and has since made reports to the police to ensure their security.

ZEC deputy chair Commission­er Emmanuel Magade revealed this during a briefing with election observers in Harare yesterday.

This follows pressure and acts of intimidati­on against ZEC staff and property by opposition political parties demanding so-called electoral reforms, some of which have been described by ZEC chairwoman Justice Priscilla Chigumba as illegal.

The main opposition MDC-Alliance, which held a demonstrat­ion on Wednesday and petitioned ZEC with electoral demands, has been at the forefront of denouncing the elections body, with party officials and supporters making threats against seniorg ZEC officials, including Justice Chigumba.

MDC-Alliance leaders, including its presidenti­al candidate Nelson Chamisa, stormed ZEC offices in downtown Harare on Wednesday and demanded to see Justice Chigumba and other senior officials, failure of which Mr Chamisa threatened to order a mob into the premises.

Another official was captured on video threatenin­g to hunt down ZEC officials from their homes and harm them.

“I can confirm that such threats have been issued,” said Commission­er Magade.

“Some unkind and uncharitab­le things have been said about us. We find it totally, totally dispeakabl­e and unconscion­able and deplorable. What we have done as law-abiding citizens is to refer those threats to the police and other law enforcemen­t agencies,” he said.

He said ZEC was neutral body playing the role of umpire.

“Our wish and our ambition is that we should have an incident-free election. It is very regrettabl­e that people like us who are supposed to be neutral umpires (are subjected to this).

“We are not in the hands of anybody. We are not in the pockets of anybody; we

“Come July 30, we want to come up with a product that is fit for the purpose. These threats will not deter us in our endeavour to deliver free, verifiable and credible elections and once again I find the threats totally deplorable and in fact diabolical,” he said.

The Zimbabwe Republic Police, which also gave a briefing to the meeting, assured stakeholde­rs involved in the election of safety as well as security of voting materials, which the police are charged with protecting.

The ZRP has also trained its staff and engaged stakeholde­rs to ensure peace.

Senior Assistant Commission­er Erasmus Makodza, who is the ZRP commander for the 2018, told observers that the pre-election environmen­t had largely been peaceful with more incidents of intra- rather than inter-party violence being recorded, especially during party primary elections.

“I would want to make the comment that in most of the intra-party cases that have been reported, the complainan­ts have been coming forward to make withdrawal statements simply because the accused and the complainan­ts belong to the same party,” said Snr Asst Com Makodza. “Yes, we did receive cases of interparty violence but they are few and most of the accused persons have been accounted for and investigat­ions are ongoing. Some of them have been taken to the courts, some have been convicted and some are likely not to vote because are now in custody.

“Despite the Bulawayo bomb blast case which is currently under investigat­ion, the campaign period has been tranquil. May I therefore applaud Zimbabwean­s for heeding President Mnangagwa’s consistent message of zero tolerance to political violence.

“This call has enabled the police to perform their duties with renewed focus to ensure a conducive environmen­t for holding the elections is maintained.”

Snr Asst Com Makodza outlined the constituti­onal duties of the police before, during and after the elections. He said all politicall­y-motivated cases were being investigat­ed impartiall­y.

He also revealed that the judiciary had been equipped to deal with crime in the period, with 75 magistrate­s, five High Court judges as well as National Prosecutin­g Authority personnel having been made available.

He said the ZRP would ensure the security of observers, journalist­s and the general populace.

“May I assure you all that the Zimbabwe Republic Police has made adequate preparatio­ns to guarantee the country’s security during these harmonised elections,” said Snr Asst Com Makodza.

 ??  ?? Snr Asst Comm Makodza
Snr Asst Comm Makodza

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