Opposition leader Chamisa details massive anomalies in meeting with SADC as EU, Commonwealth engagements beckon

By Leopold Munhende | Chief Correspondent

CITIZENS Coalition for Change (CCC) leader Nelson Chamisa has told on President Emmerson Mnangagwa to regional body SADC, detailing massive electoral irregularities that could taint Zimbabwe’s August 23 polls.

Chamisa, Mnangagwa’s main competitor for the presidency in a race that includes nine others, Sunday told his supporters he had told the regional body’s Election Observer Mission the Zanu PF candidate was only interested in rigging the election.

He was speaking to thousands of CCC supporters gathered at his White City Stadium rally in Bulawayo, one of two last before Wednesday’s General Elections.

The last one is set for Robert Mugabe Square in Harare, a day before the polls.

“I have had meetings with SADC, I have briefed them on the challenges we have. I told them that Mnangagwa is not preparing to win, he is plotting to rig,” said Chamisa.

“I told SADC that he stole the election in 2018 but this time I will not allow him to steal it again. I told them Zimbabwe is the next SADC chair and they should get ready to welcome me.

“I told them that up to this day, we do not have a voters roll that is searchable. But remember I am a former ICT Minister, we have cracked the PDF format they gave us and now know what they are trying to do, we will not allow them to steal our votes, never.

“I told them that I have not yet seen the ballot paper, We have requested from ZEC that we agree on the ballot, the ink and arrangement. Mnangagwa has already rigged the arrangement (but) even if he rigs the ballot paper he will not win this election.

“I told SADC that we are having a problem with the issue of deployment of postal ballots but my intelligence is telling me the majority of police officers defied their bosses and voted for me. I thank all the police officers.

“I told them we have problems of ghost polling stations where they want to stuff ballot papers but we have managed to ensure a polling agent for every station.

“I have told SADC that Zanu PF wants to get the presidential result before reporting it to ZEC but once we get the result we will tell the world what we got ourselves, we will not accept that.

“We will have the result by end of the next day.”

The 45-year-old will be meeting Observer Missions from the Commonwealth this week, a cog in Mnangagwa’s re-engagement policy.

With a free and fair election set as one of its prerequisites if Zimbabwe is to be re-admitted into its community of nations, the Zanu PF government is under immense pressure to deliver.

Some of the issues raised by Chamisa, notably access to an auditable and analysable voters roll have been taken to court.

Chamisa bemoaned failure by the Zanu PF government to invite United Nations (UN) observers, saying he will be briefing the global organisation and then the Chinese of Zimbabwe’s situation before, during and after elections.

“Any result that will see Mnangagwa being announced the winner of Wednesday’s elections is fake. We are winning this election,” he added.