Opinion / Letters
Candidates Intimidating the electorate must be disqualified
16 Aug 2023 at 09:29hrs | Views
Dear President Mnangagwa and Mrs Chigumba,
A video of a Zanu PF candidate intimidating villagers, telling them that they will be issued with voting cards when they arrive at the polling station, and using those cards will be used to detect who they voted for, has gone viral (see video attached). How does Comrade Mnangagwa feel about this when telling the world that the country will hold free and fair elections? The amount of abuse in this coming election has reached unprecedented levels, and if he is genuine about free and fair elections, Comrade Mnangagwa must wipe his people into line. Failure to do so is a demonstration of his inability to control his party, hence does not deserve to be a national leader.
Observers, both local and international, and the media, both local and international, must pay particular attention to this absurd proposal by Zanu PF candidates and share the stories with the Zimbabwe Elections Commission and keep the evidence to be produced in a court of law if the process is challenged in the courts.
The Zimbabwe Elections Commission must embark on a massive publicity campaign on state radio and television and all other possible media to educate the electorate that their vote is their secret, and to dissociate the Commission from this misinformation by Zanu PF officials, whether they are doing it as Zanu PF's official position following instructions from President Mnangagwa, or whether they are doing it in their personal capacities.
Opposition candidates with evidence should also report these cases to the Police and ZEC so that such candidates are disqualified.
The regional, continental, and international leaders who I have shared this story with must tell the Zimbabwean President to stop this inappropriate behavior by his officials as it violates people's right to freely elect their leaders.
And the people of Zimbabwe, from the Zambezi to the Limpopo, must resist this intimidation as in fact, no one will ever know who one voted for. They must be weary of the lies by desperate candidates and punish them for the abuse in the ballot box.
Kennedy Kaitano
A video of a Zanu PF candidate intimidating villagers, telling them that they will be issued with voting cards when they arrive at the polling station, and using those cards will be used to detect who they voted for, has gone viral (see video attached). How does Comrade Mnangagwa feel about this when telling the world that the country will hold free and fair elections? The amount of abuse in this coming election has reached unprecedented levels, and if he is genuine about free and fair elections, Comrade Mnangagwa must wipe his people into line. Failure to do so is a demonstration of his inability to control his party, hence does not deserve to be a national leader.
Observers, both local and international, and the media, both local and international, must pay particular attention to this absurd proposal by Zanu PF candidates and share the stories with the Zimbabwe Elections Commission and keep the evidence to be produced in a court of law if the process is challenged in the courts.
The Zimbabwe Elections Commission must embark on a massive publicity campaign on state radio and television and all other possible media to educate the electorate that their vote is their secret, and to dissociate the Commission from this misinformation by Zanu PF officials, whether they are doing it as Zanu PF's official position following instructions from President Mnangagwa, or whether they are doing it in their personal capacities.
Opposition candidates with evidence should also report these cases to the Police and ZEC so that such candidates are disqualified.
The regional, continental, and international leaders who I have shared this story with must tell the Zimbabwean President to stop this inappropriate behavior by his officials as it violates people's right to freely elect their leaders.
And the people of Zimbabwe, from the Zambezi to the Limpopo, must resist this intimidation as in fact, no one will ever know who one voted for. They must be weary of the lies by desperate candidates and punish them for the abuse in the ballot box.
Kennedy Kaitano
Source - Kennedy Kaitano
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