Zanu-PF's Pemhenayi protests losing to Madiro

ZANU-PF Mutare North legislator, Batsirayi Pemhenayi, who lost the ticket to represent the party in the same constituency during the recently held contentious primary elections want the results nullified citing a raft of irregularities.

Pemhenayi competed against the party's Manicaland chairman Mike Madiro who was declared the eventual winner.

In a complaint letter dated May 1, 2018 addressed to Ambassador Zenzo Ntsimbi who was the election commissioner, Pemhenayi said the elections were rigged.

"This letter serves to complain and nullify the Mutare North constituency Zanu-PF primary election results which were solely conducted by Michael Madiro using stolen ballot papers…Madiro conducted secret ballot which was done without my polling agents."

However, Madiro rubbished the rigging claims during an interview on the sidelines of the elections saying it was a case of sour grapes.

"There is a lot of confusion going on in this election. As a candidate it will be a case of conflict of interest for me to intervene in some of the issues that are being raised but I hope that it will end well. It's clear that I am winning this election and some people are employing dirty tricks to tarnish everything," he said.

In his complaint letter Pemhenayi went on and cited a number of irregularities which he claimed were deliberately caused by Madiro.

"The voting was done during the midnight whereby some ballots papers were cast by some people repeatedly to justify that elections took place. In light of the above, it is the party's mandate to hold or conduct credible, transparent, free and fair elections. Madiro's behaviour towards the election is not in line with the party's expectations. I therefore appeal to nullify and condemn the results. I wish for the party's leadership to consider my appeal and call for a proper and transparent primary election."

Pemhenayi said Madiro was not supposed to run an election in which he is a contestant.

"Despite Madiro being one of the aspiring candidates he has been left to be involved in the preparation and conduction of the elections. The electoral college of the primary elections was manipulated by the same taking advantage of his chairmanship. This is evidenced by the exclusion from the cell register and disappearance of all cell registers in Border Gezi district and also my unprocedural removal from the provincial structures as secretary for indigenisation and economic empowerment. During the election Madiro took charge of the distribution of ballot papers in polling stations in Mutare North constituency despite him being an interested party in the process. I have evidence of unfair distribution of ballot papers,'' he said.