News / National
Zec scoffs at ballot paper claims
28 Jul 2018 at 04:27hrs | Views
THE Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) has scoffed at social media claims that presidential ballot papers were being transported in Zanu-PF trucks to various polling stations across the country with the intention of rigging the elections.
Zimbabwe goes to polls on Monday, July 30.
A clip showing a car alleged to be that of Zanu-Pf aspiring candidate Tichaona Karimazondo loaded with alleged presidential ballot papers has gone viral on various social media platforms.
Blogger and former Sunday Mail Editor Edmund Kudzayi posted on his personal Facebook wall yesterday an image of what he claimed were presidential ballot papers on the back seat of a Zanu-PF bakkie marked Uzumba Constituency.
He did not explain how he knew the papers were ballots and specifically presidential ones.
But Zec Commissioner in charge of public liaison Dr Qhubani Moyo dismissed the claims, saying the picture of a Zanu-PF vehicle purportedly carrying ballot papers is fake and coming from the purveyors of misrepresentation and anarchism whose intention is to destabilise the smooth running of elections.
"This is being circulated by fake and alarmist individuals working against the progress and good work done by the electoral body," he said.
"The commission is not transporting its ballot material using trucks. The commission transports ballot papers and security material in the presence of representatives of the contesting parties.
"The ballot papers have been distributed to constituencies and are being transported to polling stations in the presence of agents of all contesting parties who accompany the distribution."
Dr Moyo dismissed Kudzayi's claims as unfounded, false and alarmist.
He explained that polling agents of the various candidates were allowed to sleep inside the polling stations guarding the ballots together with the police and Zec officials.
"Polling agents are allowed to sleep in polling stations if they so wish guarding the ballots together with police officers and Zec security."
Kudzayi claimed that Zanu-PF supporters will be given the ballot papers before going to the polling station and will switch them while in the ballot booth.
Zimbabwe goes to polls on Monday, July 30.
A clip showing a car alleged to be that of Zanu-Pf aspiring candidate Tichaona Karimazondo loaded with alleged presidential ballot papers has gone viral on various social media platforms.
Blogger and former Sunday Mail Editor Edmund Kudzayi posted on his personal Facebook wall yesterday an image of what he claimed were presidential ballot papers on the back seat of a Zanu-PF bakkie marked Uzumba Constituency.
He did not explain how he knew the papers were ballots and specifically presidential ones.
But Zec Commissioner in charge of public liaison Dr Qhubani Moyo dismissed the claims, saying the picture of a Zanu-PF vehicle purportedly carrying ballot papers is fake and coming from the purveyors of misrepresentation and anarchism whose intention is to destabilise the smooth running of elections.
"This is being circulated by fake and alarmist individuals working against the progress and good work done by the electoral body," he said.
"The commission is not transporting its ballot material using trucks. The commission transports ballot papers and security material in the presence of representatives of the contesting parties.
"The ballot papers have been distributed to constituencies and are being transported to polling stations in the presence of agents of all contesting parties who accompany the distribution."
Dr Moyo dismissed Kudzayi's claims as unfounded, false and alarmist.
He explained that polling agents of the various candidates were allowed to sleep inside the polling stations guarding the ballots together with the police and Zec officials.
"Polling agents are allowed to sleep in polling stations if they so wish guarding the ballots together with police officers and Zec security."
Kudzayi claimed that Zanu-PF supporters will be given the ballot papers before going to the polling station and will switch them while in the ballot booth.
Source - chronicle
