News / National
MDC-T dossier provides 'concrete evidence' of Zim poll rigging
27 Oct 2013 at 06:44hrs | Views
FORMER Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai's MDC-T has produced a new "dossier", which the party says finally provides concrete evidence on how the July 31 elections were allegedly rigged by Zanu-PF.
But Zanu-PF immediately dismissed the dossier as full of lies, saying the opposition MDC-T should come to terms with its massive defeat to the ruling party in a "free and fair election".
The MDC-T said it now had details of how the manipulation of the elections was planned and executed, after obtaining the details from confidential links who were involved in the alleged "rigging mission."
Tsvangirai's spokesperson, Luke Tamborinyoka said the 54- page document entitled The Zimbabwe 2013 Election: Rigging Report will soon be presented to other African leaders for their consideration.
"We will pursue diplomatic channels and furnish African leaders and regional organisations, such as the African Union with the report on how Zanu-PF stole the elections," he said.
It makes a sensational claim that a total of $100 million was used to manipulate the elections through a "monolith" system and structure, comprising largely secretive and shadow organisations, as well as individuals.
The document alleges that local organisations, individuals, and structures within the state's security sector were at the epicentre of the "rigging machinery," with vast technical expertise and support provided by foreign individuals and groups.
It says the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) led by Justice Rita Makarau was reduced to a bystander in the electoral "fiasco", playing a rubber stamping role as a secret structure of military and intelligence officials directed and controlled everything.
"The official structure, was virtually rendered useless and forced to follow behind the planted agents," the report reads.
It claims three ZEC commissioners who provided information in confidence stated that the electoral body totally ceded authority and control of the election planning and conduct to other players.
"In addition to virtually being barred from playing its role of monitoring and controlling the voter registration exercise, ZEC's official structure was also kept in the dark about the process of preparing the voter's roll, which was being done secretly," the document says.
"The ZEC official structure cannot up to now account for the number of ballot papers that were printed, how they were distributed and used. The commissioners were merely given figures to issue out but without being allowed to observe, monitor or even take stock of this vital aspect of an election."
The MDC-T "dossier" claims that President Robert Mugabe met and hosted Israel's Nikuv Projects chief executive officer, Emmanuel Antebion on June 20 2012, and on July 30 this year for briefings and payments arrangements for the secret services that the company was carrying out.
It alleges a High Command, comprising nine senior government ministers (names withheld) was delegated to supervise the mission to manipulate the electoral process and undertook secret missions to Israel, China, Angola, Central Africa Republic and the DRC for the purpose of obtaining advice and funding.
The document claimed that below the High Command was the management and implementing committee, which was controlled and led by the military and intelligence officials.
"The military and intelligence structure was charged with ensuring close and tight monitoring, as well as supervision of all individuals and organisations variously involved in the rigging mission and keep them within the confines of the plans, objectives and targets," it reads.
"It is through the involvement of military and intelligence at the very top levels that it was effectively ensured that virtually all the electoral management organisations being infiltrated and brought under the control and influence of the secret structure and machinery."
The report alleges that the hard copy version of the voters roll, which the Registrar-General handed to ZEC less than 48 hours before voting, was not a consolidated national register of voters as required by the law. It says it was made of various and different versions that were dominated by deliberate repetition of hundreds of thousands of ghost voters, used to justify the strategies of multiple voting and ballot stuffing.
The MDC-T alleged that Nikuv was given a US$13 million contract to manipulate the electoral process, which was paid in staggered instalments and batches starting in November 2012 and without the consent and knowledge of the Ministry of Finance.
"Nikuv experts formulated strategies that would avoid defeat and rig the election for a Zanu-PF victory, through disenfranchising voters, diluting MDC strongholds, creating ghost voters and facilitating for multiple voting, as well as ballot stuffing," the dossier reads.
It claims that three Nikuv experts arrived in November 2012 and were assigned to start preparing for the mission with initial strategies that included issuance of fake IDs, identifying names of dead people and those in the diaspora for inclusion in the voters roll.
The report also said Chinese experts contributed in the formation and implementation of strategies, and brought special materials used in the electoral fraud including a special water marked ballot paper.
It claimed Zanu-PF received funding of up to US$100m from diamond companies, a listed company and external sources such as Equatorial Guinea, DRC, Angola, Israel and China.
The report also details the bussing of supporters, alleged creation of 1,7 million ghost voters and deleting of voters in constituencies such as Mt Pleasant.
However, the minister of Presidential Affairs and Zanu-PF secretary for administration, Didymus Mutasa said the document was full of falsehoods as the elections were never rigged.
"I don't understand why they want to lie. If we rigged all across, how come the MDC-T won all the seats in Bulawayo?" he asked.
But Zanu-PF immediately dismissed the dossier as full of lies, saying the opposition MDC-T should come to terms with its massive defeat to the ruling party in a "free and fair election".
The MDC-T said it now had details of how the manipulation of the elections was planned and executed, after obtaining the details from confidential links who were involved in the alleged "rigging mission."
Tsvangirai's spokesperson, Luke Tamborinyoka said the 54- page document entitled The Zimbabwe 2013 Election: Rigging Report will soon be presented to other African leaders for their consideration.
"We will pursue diplomatic channels and furnish African leaders and regional organisations, such as the African Union with the report on how Zanu-PF stole the elections," he said.
It makes a sensational claim that a total of $100 million was used to manipulate the elections through a "monolith" system and structure, comprising largely secretive and shadow organisations, as well as individuals.
The document alleges that local organisations, individuals, and structures within the state's security sector were at the epicentre of the "rigging machinery," with vast technical expertise and support provided by foreign individuals and groups.
It says the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) led by Justice Rita Makarau was reduced to a bystander in the electoral "fiasco", playing a rubber stamping role as a secret structure of military and intelligence officials directed and controlled everything.
"The official structure, was virtually rendered useless and forced to follow behind the planted agents," the report reads.
It claims three ZEC commissioners who provided information in confidence stated that the electoral body totally ceded authority and control of the election planning and conduct to other players.
"In addition to virtually being barred from playing its role of monitoring and controlling the voter registration exercise, ZEC's official structure was also kept in the dark about the process of preparing the voter's roll, which was being done secretly," the document says.
"The ZEC official structure cannot up to now account for the number of ballot papers that were printed, how they were distributed and used. The commissioners were merely given figures to issue out but without being allowed to observe, monitor or even take stock of this vital aspect of an election."
The MDC-T "dossier" claims that President Robert Mugabe met and hosted Israel's Nikuv Projects chief executive officer, Emmanuel Antebion on June 20 2012, and on July 30 this year for briefings and payments arrangements for the secret services that the company was carrying out.
The document claimed that below the High Command was the management and implementing committee, which was controlled and led by the military and intelligence officials.
"The military and intelligence structure was charged with ensuring close and tight monitoring, as well as supervision of all individuals and organisations variously involved in the rigging mission and keep them within the confines of the plans, objectives and targets," it reads.
"It is through the involvement of military and intelligence at the very top levels that it was effectively ensured that virtually all the electoral management organisations being infiltrated and brought under the control and influence of the secret structure and machinery."
The report alleges that the hard copy version of the voters roll, which the Registrar-General handed to ZEC less than 48 hours before voting, was not a consolidated national register of voters as required by the law. It says it was made of various and different versions that were dominated by deliberate repetition of hundreds of thousands of ghost voters, used to justify the strategies of multiple voting and ballot stuffing.
The MDC-T alleged that Nikuv was given a US$13 million contract to manipulate the electoral process, which was paid in staggered instalments and batches starting in November 2012 and without the consent and knowledge of the Ministry of Finance.
"Nikuv experts formulated strategies that would avoid defeat and rig the election for a Zanu-PF victory, through disenfranchising voters, diluting MDC strongholds, creating ghost voters and facilitating for multiple voting, as well as ballot stuffing," the dossier reads.
It claims that three Nikuv experts arrived in November 2012 and were assigned to start preparing for the mission with initial strategies that included issuance of fake IDs, identifying names of dead people and those in the diaspora for inclusion in the voters roll.
The report also said Chinese experts contributed in the formation and implementation of strategies, and brought special materials used in the electoral fraud including a special water marked ballot paper.
It claimed Zanu-PF received funding of up to US$100m from diamond companies, a listed company and external sources such as Equatorial Guinea, DRC, Angola, Israel and China.
The report also details the bussing of supporters, alleged creation of 1,7 million ghost voters and deleting of voters in constituencies such as Mt Pleasant.
However, the minister of Presidential Affairs and Zanu-PF secretary for administration, Didymus Mutasa said the document was full of falsehoods as the elections were never rigged.
"I don't understand why they want to lie. If we rigged all across, how come the MDC-T won all the seats in Bulawayo?" he asked.
Source - thestandard
