ZANU PF has made provisions to accommodate members of the State security sector to campaign in its primary elections, according to regulations drafted by the party politburo.
Report by Nduduzo Tshuma
The waiver comes at a time when a number of members of the Central Intelligence Organisation, the police and army have reportedly declared interest in contesting on behalf of the party.
According to a draft of the party’s primary elections regulations to be finalised when the politburo meets this week, a waiver would be applied on a member “prevented from holding a position in any of the structures of the party by virtue of his/her employment in the service of the State”.
The MDCs have been calling for security sector reforms, arguing that some of the security chiefs were biased towards Zanu PF.
Meanwhile, according to the draft document, any candidates aspiring to represent Zanu PF in the election would be subjected to a vetting process “by the relevant State department which maintains records on criminal convictions”.
“Such vetting process may include furnishing fingerprints to assist in the verification process,” read the regulations draft.
Last week, an international human rights group called on the government and the international community to censure the security chiefs, who have openly declared their allegiance to Zanu PF, saying they pose a risk on the credibility of elections.
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In a 44-page report, titled The Elephant in the Room: Reforming the Security Sector Ahead of Zimbabwe’s Elections, the New York-based Human Rights Watch said the service chiefs’ involvement in politics could result in a “refusal to endorse the election outcome, or other consequences”.
Zimbabwe Prison Service Commissioner-General Paradzai Zimondi last month urged his subordinates to rally behind President Robert Mugabe in this year’s harmonised polls.
