MDC supporter held for 'voting twice', 17 others sought

MDC supporter held for 'voting twice', 17 others sought

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By Fikile Mapala

ZIMBABWEAN police have arrested a supporter of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) for "voting twice" and are hunting 15 others, it was confirmed Monday.

Police say two polling station presiding officers have also been arrested for suspected electoral fraud during the 29 March general elections.

Chief police spokesman Assistant Commissioner Wayne Bvudzijena named the MDC member as Elina Makore.

He said her allege double voting was noticed during the verification process during a recount ordered following Zanu PF complaints.

Makore, the MDC secretary for Gutu district women’s wing is accused of voting twice in Ward 25, her constituency.

MDC provincial secretary for Masvingo Province Togai Matutu also confirmed the arrest but insisted the charges against her were fabricated.

Matutu said: “The police are busy arresting some of our members on fabricated charges. It was not possible to vote twice in this election. That is clearly a trumped up charge."

Bvudzijena said police were looking to at least 15 other individuals who voted twice in the Midlands Province.

Meanwhile, Bvudzijena also confirmed the arrest of John Chihombori, 45, and Mabasa Tarimwa, 47, who were presiding officers in Masvingo Province over inconsistencies in their figures of ballots cast and the number of voters.

Chihombori was the presiding officer at Maregere Business Centre in Bikita West constituency and is alleged to have used up 241 ballot papers against 201 people registered to vote.

Tarimwa presided over polls at Odzi Secondary School in Bikita and an inconsistency of 319 ballot papers against 315 registered voters was discovered.

Bvudzijena said: “Midlands police are currently looking for 10 people who voted twice in Gokwe wards 1, 29 and 31. The double voting was done mostly at Simuchembu and Bharabhara polling stations.”

He added that the police are also looking for three people who voted twice in Zhombe ward 7.

In Manicaland Province, police are said to be looking for four people who voted twice at Jori and Mangwadza primary schools polling stations as well as at Chapanduka and Mangwadza polling stations.”

The arrests come after the Zimbabwe Election Commission (ZEC) ordered a recount in 23 constituencies after candidates challenged the outcome of the initial count citing deliberate misrepresentation of poll figures by election officials.

Dozens of ZEC officials have appeared in court in the past three weeks after Zanu PF accused the election officials of receiving bribes from the opposition in order to rig the election against President Mugabe.

But the results of the recounted constituencies have failed to vindicate claims of vote rigging by election officials after candidates retained their seats in all the 23 constituencies at the close of the recounting exercise.
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