News / National
Disgruntled Zanu-PF supporters toyi-toyi at DA's office
05 Dec 2013 at 03:20hrs | Views
Disgruntled Zanu-PF supporters in Gutu staged a demonstration outside the district administrator (DA)'s office against last weekend's chaotic and violent party provincial polls calling for a rerun.
The placard-waving supporters, who included war veterans, clad in party regalia toyi-toyied outside the DA's office at the growth point complaining of vote fraud and a doctored voter register which prevented them from voting.
"I am the (Zanu-PF) district chair for Ward 1 in Chivake, but my name was missing and I did not vote," Velonica Mumbirima, who was among the demonstrators, said.
"Instead, there was another register. The party should not stop us from exercising our right to vote . . . that is why we went to war. It is surprising how the party is stifling democracy," Mumbirima said.
Armed anti-riot police were called in to quell some of the violent clashes between Zanu-PF factions amid allegations of rigging in some parts of Gutu last Saturday.
A party source said there were similar violent clashes in Masvingo urban with accusations and counter accusations of vote fraud.
"Instead of recognising the current executive, they came up with an old list that was used in 2008. Some people had to be phoned to come and vote because they had long been out of the structures.
"Such were the levels of rigging as factions jostled for control," a source said.
Retired Brigadier-General Calisto Gwanetsa won the Masvingo provincial chairmanship after beating rival Ailes Baloyi. Baloyi has challenged the outcome citing irregularities.
"We should encourage internal democracy in the party than to shout at other voters because they did not vote for you. The voter register was not the original one. It was totally different.
"We should not let such things go uncontested, otherwise we would have normalised the abnormal," Baloyi said on Tuesday.
The placard-waving supporters, who included war veterans, clad in party regalia toyi-toyied outside the DA's office at the growth point complaining of vote fraud and a doctored voter register which prevented them from voting.
"I am the (Zanu-PF) district chair for Ward 1 in Chivake, but my name was missing and I did not vote," Velonica Mumbirima, who was among the demonstrators, said.
"Instead, there was another register. The party should not stop us from exercising our right to vote . . . that is why we went to war. It is surprising how the party is stifling democracy," Mumbirima said.
Armed anti-riot police were called in to quell some of the violent clashes between Zanu-PF factions amid allegations of rigging in some parts of Gutu last Saturday.
A party source said there were similar violent clashes in Masvingo urban with accusations and counter accusations of vote fraud.
"Instead of recognising the current executive, they came up with an old list that was used in 2008. Some people had to be phoned to come and vote because they had long been out of the structures.
"Such were the levels of rigging as factions jostled for control," a source said.
Retired Brigadier-General Calisto Gwanetsa won the Masvingo provincial chairmanship after beating rival Ailes Baloyi. Baloyi has challenged the outcome citing irregularities.
"We should encourage internal democracy in the party than to shout at other voters because they did not vote for you. The voter register was not the original one. It was totally different.
"We should not let such things go uncontested, otherwise we would have normalised the abnormal," Baloyi said on Tuesday.
Source - southerneye
