PRC fails to pay polling agents
PEOPLE’S Rainbow Coalition’s Shamva South National Assembly candidate Mr Stephen Choga is in trouble after failing to pay 87 polling agents that represented him in the just-ended elections.
The candidate confirmed that the party owed the agents about $4 350, working with a minimum figure of $50 per agent.
“We were asked to approach a donor on the issue of payments, but we didn’t know who the donor was,” said Mr Choga.
“We suspect that we were taken for a ride. Had they told us the truth we could have gone to the elections fully aware and we could have asked MDC-Alliance for assistance.
“We don’t know whether someone embezzled the funds or they cheated us. Efforts to engage PRC president, Dr Joice Mujuru were fruitless. I want Amai Mujuru to help us in resolving this issue because their executive has no solution. No one knows what is happening.
“During the pre-election period we used our money to campaign, but our leadership promised to pay for the polling agents. They asked us to send names to the national elections officer only identified as Phiri.
“We deployed our agents with the minimum resources we had. The polling agents were committed and they managed to do the whole election process. We didn’t disclose what each agent was getting because we didn’t know how much the party was prepared to pay.”
Mr Choga said the 87 polling agents were for 57 polling stations in Shamva South.
PRC candidate for Bindura North, Mr Takawira Chagweka, said he had 81 polling agents and urged them to be patient.
“People need to be patient until the issue of their allowance is addressed,” he said. “The party will honour the payments. Some polling agents did not submit their names.”
National People’s Party executive member, Dr Julius Musevenzi, said he was also a candidate in the justended harmonised elections and no polling agents had been paid so far.
“I receive a message from the leadership yesterday (Tuesday) saying polling agents will receive their payments and I trust that the money will be paid,” he said. “I don’t know the figure.”