eBusiness Weekly
Africa Moyo recently in BULAWAYO
Speculation as to when the harmonised elections will be held, ended on Wednesday when President Emmerson Mnangagwa proclaimed dates for the watershed plebiscite.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), as one of the major stakeholders in ensuring peaceful environment during polls, is already bracing up for what appears to be one of the biggest and closely fought elections since independence.
President Mnangagwa proclaimed July 30 as the date for harmonised elections to choose the President, National Assembly members and councillors.
The date is contained in Statutory Instrument 83 of 2018 published in an Extraordinary Government Gazette yesterday.
The President also fixed September 8, 2018 as the date for the Presidential election run-off if it is necessary.
The President made the Proclamation in terms of Section 144 (1) that empowers him to fix dates for the election.
“Now, therefore, under and by virtue of the powers vested in the President, as aforesaid, I do, by this proclamation fix Monday, 30th day of July, 2018, as the day of the election to the Office of President, the elections of members of the National Assembly and election of councillors, that is to say, as the day on which poll shall be taken if a poll becomes necessary in terms of Section 46(17)(c) or 125 (4)(b) of the Electoral Act for the election of the Office of President or any such members of the National Assembly or councillors; and fix Saturday September 8, 2018, as the day of the runoff election to the Office of President, that is to say as the day on which a poll shall be taken if such a poll becomes necessary in terms of Section 110(3)(1)(iii) of the Electoral Act,” President Mnangagwa said in the Proclamation.
He also said the Nomination Court shall sit on June 14 starting at 10 o’clock in the morning at Mapondera Building, Court A in Harare to receive nomination for the presidential election candidates.
The President said boundaries for provinces, constituencies and wards used in the 2013 harmonised elections would be used in the elections. For the 210 National Assembly elections, the nomination courts will also sit on the same day at various centres across the country’s 10 provinces.
The announcement has thrust the country into full-time electioneering as indications are 133 political parties are angling to wrest the highest office on the land but the nomination court, the figure might be serious whittled.
The campaign so far has been refreshingly peaceful.
The previous campaigns have been marred by violence, particularly pitting ZANU-PF and the MDC-T supporters.
In the past, there were claims by opposition political parties that the police took sides with ZANU-PF and would surprisingly arrest victims instead of the alleged perpetrators.
The ZRP has spiritedly denied the claims, saying they discharge their duties impartially and professionally.
President Mnangagwa has frowned upon election violence on several platforms including the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland early this year.
The President has declared zero tolerance to political violence in the build-up, during and after the watershed elections; insisting that the poll must be free, fair, legitimate and credible.
Free and fair elections are central to the country’s economic turnaround, particularly amid indications that some investors, who have made firm commitments to invest billions locally, want undisputed elections before they start rolling out their projects.
The the incumbent President, who has gone out into the world declaring that “Zimbabwe is open business”, would not want shambolic elections to literally present the country as “closed for business”.
As part of the commitment to deliver a free, fair and credible poll that will bring between few and no disputes, President Mnangagwa has opened the harmonised elections to international observers.
Some of the preliminary observer teams have started coming and getting updates from contesting parties.
Z R P comes to the party
On March this year, the ZRP set up a National Elections Command whose burden is to ensure peace in this year’s polls. Senior Assistant Commissioner Erasmus Mukodza, heads the key department, and would be stationed at Police General Headquarters.
Senior Assistant Commissioner Makodza has hit the ground running, as preparations for the polls gather steam.
This week, he was in Bulawayo where he met the poll team based in the second capital to apprise them of what has to be done to ensure a violence free poll is delivered.
“We will have over 2000 police officers who will be part of elections in Bulawayo, and they will be well resourced so that they are effective in carrying out their duties.
“No police officer will be allowed to use political party vehicles or any other resources as this may compromise their operations,” said Senior Assistant Commissioner Makodza.
During former President Robert Mugabe’s era, police officers were accused of travelling in ZANU-PF vehicles, and in the worst case, “assisting” ZANU-PF supporters perpetrate violence on the opposition.
Although some political parties say 2 000 police officers may not be adequate for Bulawayo, there is consensus that the number will go a long way in ensuring there is a violence-free election.
Political communication
rife on social media
The popularity of social media has forced political parties to turn it into a serious platform for full-fledged campaigning.
While citizens still believe in voting for candidates they physically see, politicians are also engaging some of their supporters on social media, especially Twitter and Facebook.
Obert Gutu, the deputy president of the MDC-T splinter led by Dr Thokozani Khupe, is one of the most active politicians on social media.
For Gutu, the social media has become a tool to not only seek votes, but also advocate violence-free elections.
In a recent tweet, Gutu said: “We are going door-to-door in Harare talking about the BEST (an acronym for Building an Economy to Support Transformation, the party’s manifesto theme).
“We don’t use foul and abusive language. We don’t use violence. We don’t malign and/ or stigmatise anyone.”
On Monday this week, Gutu also pleaded for the “cleansing” of local politics from “all forms violence, be it physical, emotional or psychological violence.”
He added that every citizen must “say a big no to violence”.
Intra-party violence
Gutu’s remarks come at a time when his faction is locked in untold violence against the other faction lead by Advocate Nelson Chamisa.
This year, political violence appears to have taken a different form — intra-party and not inter-party violence.
Police have not received any major cases of inter-party political violence but is currently seized with cases of intra-party disturbances. The deeply divided MDC-T, whose cracks are widening by the day, has witnessed the most cases of intra-party political violence, mainly against members aligned to Dr Khupe.
Since the death of former leader, Morgan Tsvangirai early this year, MDC-T supporters opposed to Advocate Chamisa’s taking over of the party, have borne the brunt of violence by party youths.
Dr Khupe herself and secretary general Douglas Mwonzora — who has since rejoined the Advocate Chamisa faction — were given a hiding in Buhera on the day Tsvangirai was buried.
Recently, MDC-T (Chamisa) supporters, hurled obscenities at Dr Khupe as she emerged from the High Court in Harare where she had gone for a ruling on a challenge seeking her to stop using the party name and symbols.
A terrorist group alleged to be behind Advocate Chamisa code-named the Vanguard, which is said to be led by Shakespeare Mukoyi, is thought to be leading violence against Dr Khupe’s supporters.
Dr Khupe now wants Mukoyi to testify in court when the trial on who is the genuine MDC-T kicks-off, considering that he recently told the media that the Vanguard’s activities had the blessings of party leaders.
Isolated cases of intra-party violence have also been heard in ZANU-PF particularly during the primary elections period as losing candidates queried the outcome.
Similarly, such cases have also been reported in the National Patriotic Front (NPF), which is fronted by the exiled Professor Jonathan Moyo and Patrick Zhuwao.
Prof Moyo and Zhuwao recently recorded themselves verbally abusing party spokesman, Jealousy Mawarire, for allegedly pilfering funds meant to procure regalia.
The emergence of intra-party violence gives ZRP’s National Elections Command fresh headaches on how to tackle the scourge.
In the past, police would provide security to political parties when holding rallies so that other parties do not unleash violence.
However, internal party meetings have become new hotbeds for political violence.
The police needs to monitor and stop this violence.
