By-election voters' roll contains dead people

MDC-T today said it has unearthed shocking irregularities on a voters' roll that will be used during a by-election to replace the Ward 12 councillor Enock Mavhondo who died early this year.
The expose adds to MDC-T's protest that Zanu-PF used the shambled roll in the last July 31 elections to steal victory which saw the party "winning" two thirds majority in parliament and President Robert Mugabe retaining power.
The by-election to be contested in by Zanu-PF's Charles Simbi; RichardNdlovu of the National Constitutional Assembly party and Fortunate Chiokoyo of MDC-T, is scheduled for April 12.
Amos Chibaya, the MDC-T's MP for Mkoba who is also the national executive member of the former PM Morgan Tsvangirai's party, today brought evidence of the flawed voters roll for Ward 12 to a press conference.
The roll contained names of deceased people whose death certificates were produced. They included Landeni Banda of House number 2433 Mkoba 7 who died in 1998; Mbano Ruth of House number 2647 Mkoba 7 who passed on in 1997; Grace Solani Mashizha of House number 1964 Mkoba 6 who died in 2006 and Calisto Fidelis Makore of House number 2809/2 Mkoba 7 who also died the same year.
Ellen Nyaradzo Nduna from Mkoba Teachers' College is registered numerous times with the same National Identity Card number but different sex. The same case is found on other names like Mazorodze Jacquiline and Peter Kabvunde.
The voters' roll also consists of people whose addresses are from outside the constituency and others who never resided in Mkoba as found in the document, according to the scrutiny made by the MDC-T officials.
"Zimbabwe is far from holding free and fair elections. This is shown by the evidence we have unearthed from the voters' roll for Ward 12 By-election. The roll is in shambles and from its state we feel it's a rigging ploy by Zanu-PF to again steal the coming polls as they did previously," said Chibaya.
He also added that the MDC-T's candidate, Makore, brought the issue before the local Zimbabwe Electoral Commission officials but was brushed off.
"Our candidate went to see a local ZEC official called Mr Mhino but she was turned away as he maintained that the body does not see anything wrong with the voters' roll and that it is the one which will be used on April 12," added Chibaya.
The MDC-T's former deputy youths chairman emphasised that the party will take the issue up with ZEC boss Rita Makarau until it has been resolved.
It was no clear if that was the same roll that was used during the 2013 general elections.