WATCH: Zimbabwe police gear up for elections

GOVERNMENT is equipping police with adequate resources to deal with violence-related crimes ahead of the August 23 harmonised elections while police have set up a special investigative unit to deal with the scourge.

An elections command committee that is spearheading the police deployment has since been set up.

The Nomination Court is sitting tomorrow countrywide during which aspiring candidates will submit nomination forms and pay requisite fees to participate in the polls.

In the past, the country has witnessed skirmishes during and after the elections.

In an interview, Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Kazembe Kazembe said police are geared up to deal with acts of criminality.

"We have prepared ourselves, the police are very much ready for the challenge.

"We have been always training our security personnel to deal with public disorder, especially during and after elections," he said.

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Minister Kazembe called on political players to tolerate each other ahead of the elections, saying differences in affiliations should not be an excuse to unleash violence on fellow citizens.

He said police will blindly enforce the law during the polls.

"As we prepare for the unknown, we would kindly urge our citizens to desist from political violence.

"I always say this and President Mnangagwa has reaffirmed that we need free and fair elections," said Minister Kazembe.

 "We may differ politically and at the end of the day, we must vote peacefully. We should maintain peace, before, during, and after elections. Should one decide or dream of engaging in political violence, then they will be accounted for as there is no one who is above the law regardless of political affiliation."

Minister Kazembe said Government is in the process of buying equipment that will enhance service delivery by the police.

"As Government, we want to thank the President because Treasury is seized with procurement of resources that they require. We shall be seeing vehicles very soon, and police will be receiving vehicles and all the equipment that they need to ensure that there is peace and tranquility as we conduct our elections," he said.

National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said a special investigative unit has been set up to handle politically related crimes ahead of the polls.

The unit will be operating across the country and reporting directly to Police General Headquarters.

He said so far at least 80 percent of cops have been trained to manage crowds during elections.

"With regards to the forthcoming harmonised elections, the Commissioner General of Police Commissioner General Godwin Tandabantu Matanga has put in place an elections command committee which is spearheading the police deployment, and mobilisation of resources, and so far almost 80 percent of the police officers have been trained in terms of election training," said Asst Comm Nyathi.

 "We are working with ZEC in terms of the specific manpower to be deployed. So, definitely, the police are ready and we have set up special investigation teams which are required in terms of the law to handle issues of political violence and tracing suspects."

Asst Comm Nyathi said some of the police officers have been nominated to be part of Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) multi-party liaison committees.

 "We are more than ready for the harmonised elections, the parent ministry is working with Treasury to ensure that the required resources are mobilised to ensure we maintain peace and order in the country," he said.

Asst Comm Nyathi implored politicians to be at the forefront of promoting an incident-free election.

"We just want to call the politicians to be very peaceful. They must not use hate language, they must not incite violence before, during, and after the elections," he said.

Asst Comm Nyathi said perpetrators of violence will be arrested and prosecuted irrespective of political affiliation.

"The Commissioner General of Police has made it very clear that police will not hesitate to arrest anyone who engages in any form of violence, threats, and intimidation irrespective of one's social standing or political affiliations."