News / National
MDC-T activists illegally record names of voters
01 Aug 2013 at 04:22hrs | Views
THREE people believed to be MDC-T activists were caught red-handed at a polling station in Mkoba Constituency in Gweru recording names of people who had just cast their votes.
The three, who were operating at Mkoba 10 Club House polling station and Matinunura School, had their "registration book" confiscated by a member of the public who then handed it over to the police.
The officer commanding police in the Midlands, Senior Assistant Commissioner Charles Makono, confirmed the incident. He said the police were hunting for the three suspects.
"The three suspected MDC-T activists were armed with a registration book while stationed outside polling stations at Matinunura and Mkoba 10 Club House. Their registration book was taken by a member of the public who surrendered it to the police.
"The three are still at large but we are confident we will soon arrest them. We want to establish whether they were not intimidating the electorate since they were registering and engaging people after voting," said Snr Asst Comm Makono.
Meanwhile, at most polling stations in Gweru, Kwekwe, Redcliff, Vungu in Lower Gweru , Lalapanzi, Chirumanzu and Shurugwi, voting went on well with no incident of violence reported. Presiding officers at different polling stations said long winding queues were the order of the day in the morning but disappeared as the day progressed.
The presiding officers also highlighted the challenge of communication, saying they did not have money to buy recharge cards as well as network challenges, especially calls between Telecel and Econet lines.
This resulted in some officers at some polling stations, especially in Mbizo in Kwekwe, instructing voters who did not appear on the voters' roll to go to their constituencies' command centres.
At Mbizo constituency command centre the presiding officer, Mr Stanslus Mugwanda, said 7 280 people had cast their votes by 2pm yesterday while 86 were either referred to their correct wards or were turned away for not being on the voters' roll.
A total of 25 people, mostly the elderly and disabled people, were assisted in voting. Mr Mugwanda said some of the voters who were referred to their respective wards were of the view that they could vote anywhere as was the case during the Constitutional Referendum.
The three, who were operating at Mkoba 10 Club House polling station and Matinunura School, had their "registration book" confiscated by a member of the public who then handed it over to the police.
The officer commanding police in the Midlands, Senior Assistant Commissioner Charles Makono, confirmed the incident. He said the police were hunting for the three suspects.
"The three suspected MDC-T activists were armed with a registration book while stationed outside polling stations at Matinunura and Mkoba 10 Club House. Their registration book was taken by a member of the public who surrendered it to the police.
"The three are still at large but we are confident we will soon arrest them. We want to establish whether they were not intimidating the electorate since they were registering and engaging people after voting," said Snr Asst Comm Makono.
The presiding officers also highlighted the challenge of communication, saying they did not have money to buy recharge cards as well as network challenges, especially calls between Telecel and Econet lines.
This resulted in some officers at some polling stations, especially in Mbizo in Kwekwe, instructing voters who did not appear on the voters' roll to go to their constituencies' command centres.
At Mbizo constituency command centre the presiding officer, Mr Stanslus Mugwanda, said 7 280 people had cast their votes by 2pm yesterday while 86 were either referred to their correct wards or were turned away for not being on the voters' roll.
A total of 25 people, mostly the elderly and disabled people, were assisted in voting. Mr Mugwanda said some of the voters who were referred to their respective wards were of the view that they could vote anywhere as was the case during the Constitutional Referendum.
Source - herald
