'I will deliver free elections,' says new ZEC chair - If you cannot add even 1 more hours to a day, then shut up!

Newly appointed Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) Chairperson Justice Priscilla Chigumba says she will deliver a credible, free and fair election this year.

"It is a great honour and privilege to be asked to serve as ZEC chairperson. I want to promise Zimbabweans that I will deliver a free and fair credible election. Certainly, we will look into the questions and issues raised because it is our intention to deliver a free, fair and credible election.

"ZEC is an administrative body emanating from the Constitution and the Electoral Act. My mandate as an umpire is to make sure there is fairness in the process of electing leaders by the people. It is a clear mandate that I intend to discharge fully.

"The commission's doors are open for those who want to come and engage us."

To say I was disappointed to hear that is an understatement! I was disgusted, shocked and angry to hear that. If she was serious about delivering free, fair and credible elections then she must know that it was not just a simple matter of replacing one ZEC Chairperson with one "who promises" to deliver free and fair elections and Wala! The nation has free and fair elections.

ZEC only started the voter registration exercise in September last year, for example; there is no way it was going to register 7 million voters from scratch in the allocated five months. Last month ZEC officials admitted they will register only 5 million. So, nearly 30% of the eligible voters are being denied the vote because ZEC started the registration late.

To make matters worse, ZEC will not have time to down load the data and produce a verified voters' roll before the elections. A verified voters' roll is a common sense and legal requirement. As the new ZEC Chairperson, Justice Chigumba, must know that it was the failure to have a verified voters' roll that made it impossible to stop such blatant vote rigging shenanigans as stopping hooded Zanu PF youths who were bussed from one polling station to the next casting multiple votes.

Even if ZEC Officials, under the able leadership of the new Chairperson, should decide to stop these hooded youths from casting multiple votes; can ZEC do this without the cooperation of the Police who, alone, have the power to investigate, arrest, detain, etc.!

"I promise to deliver free and fair election!" Are you going to add another 10 working hours to each day for the rest of the year to election day so can register the 2 million missed in the current voter registration exercise, to produce a verified voters' roll, etc., etc.? If you cannot do these things then stop talking nonsense, just shut up.