Poll rigging drama shakes Zanu-PF

TRANSPORT minister Jorum Gumbo has been accused of canvassing support for a candidate linked to Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa's camp in the inconclusive Zanu-PF Masvingo provincial elections for the chairperson's post where he was the presiding officer.

Gumbo was appointed interim Masvingo Zanu-PF provincial chairman with the task of overseeing elections to choose a substantive chairman following months of haggling between Mnangagwa's Team Lacoste faction and the rival G40, over control of the province.

After Thursday's elections where some districts failed to vote following incessant rain that made most access roads inaccessible, Gumbo announced the provincial results that showed Ezra Chadzamira scoring a landslide over retired Colonel Mutero Masanganise, who is believed to be aligned to G40. Masanganise is said to be President Robert Mugabe's uncle.

Gumbo said he would submit the election results to the Zanu-PF politburo for a decision on the way forward.

According to the results, Chadzamira polled over 12 393 votes against Masanganise's 4 888, representing 64% of the vote.

But in a statement released yesterday, Masanganise and Masvingo urban MP Daniel Shumba, who is also a deputy politburo member and one of the most senior Zanu-PF members in Masvingo, disputed the figures given by Gumbo, accusing him of showing bias towards Chadzamira.

They also accused Gumbo of prematurely announcing the results before other districts voted, allegedly in a bid to influence the outcome.

"We have noted with dismay the misconceptions, misrepresentations and clear bias towards a particular candidate by the presiding officer," part of the statement read.

"The presiding officer displayed from the onset his bias towards a certain candidate and has continued to canvas the public opinion by going public about a process, which is yet to be concluded."

Shumba and Masanganise said they wondered where Gumbo got the 63% when the whole of Mwenezi district did not vote while two thirds of Chiredzi members were not involved in the polls.

"In Gutu district, a fragmentation of few districts participated, with Gutu North constituency not having a single vote," the duo said.

"In Masvingo district, only urban constituencies voted with an average of two districts each having voted. In the other four constituencies, Chivi South was affected by heavy rains, while there was a circus in Zaka East where the Member of Parliament was conducting the elections."

Shumba and Masanganise said only 34,5% of the eligible voters managed to cast their vote and elections were only held in 210 out of the 435 districts in the province, constituting less than 50% against Gumbo's alleged 63%.

The duo said most people did not vote because of heavy rains, election officers refusing to visit all voting centres, manipulation of district structures, interference by some politburo members and connivance between supervising provinces and some MPs.

Shumba and Masanganise said only 18 000 people voted out of a possible 52 000 from the whole province, representing a turnout of 34,5% vote.

"The above and other details shall be presented to Zanu-PF party headquarters for onward review and determination. Accordingly, the perceptions created shall be dealt with through internal party structures, thus the public must ignore the partisan insinuations that have been created in yesterday [Friday]'s media release.

"It is not in a presiding officer's position to pronounce and create perceptions on an election process that is still pending and awaiting review," the two added.

Masvingo has been a battleground for Zanu-PF factional wars and several interim chairpersons have been appointed and fired as factions continued to tussle for control.

The elections were called for by the politburo after the Team Lacoste faction toppled the then interim chair, Amasa Nenjana and replaced him with Chadzamira, who had been suspended for undermining first lady Grace Mugabe before he was reinstated.

The coup on Nenjana was overturned by the politburo which then ordered elections to settle the matter once and for all, but the Thursday polls showed the problems were still far from over.

Zanu-PF commissar, Saviour Kasukuwere yesterday refused to comment on the matter, preferring to simply say: "We would have wished the process to be complete."

While addressing thousands of party supporters who gathered in Matobo for the commemoration of his 93rd birthday, President Robert Mugabe castigated canvassing for support by factions for control of provinces.

He urged Zanu-PF members to desist from factionalism which has continued to threaten the fabric of the ruling party.