AT least 100 Zanu PF losing parliamentary aspirants have lodged appeals with the party leadership citing massive rigging and irregularities during the recently held internal elections.
Report by Staff Reporters
Several groups from different provinces continued with protests at Zanu PF headquarters in Harare yesterday against the imposition of candidates and rigging.
Impeccable sources told NewsDay yesterday there were clear cases of rigging and that several people did not vote during the party’s primaries.
Among the protesting groups was one from Epworth and another from Harare South.
The protestors waved placards with messages against Harare Zanu PF chairman Amos Midzi: “President, please intervene. Midzi is killing the party. We don’t want another bhora musango (protest vote).”
Another poster read: “In Harare South, we want real war veterans not MDC. We don’t want bhora musango.”
Zanu PF spokesperson Rugare Gumbo said he was not aware of the protests as he was out of town.
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“I don’t know what has been happening in Harare. I don’t know about the protests because I am not in Harare at the moment,” Gumbo said.
The party national chairperson Simon Khaya Moyo was not immediately available for comment.
An officer at one of the voting centres in Harare said one person was allowed to vote more than 10 times, but there was nothing done to stop the rigging.
As a result of the irregularities, disgruntled Zanu PF supporters have threatened another protest vote reminiscent of the 2008 scenario that saw councillors, MPs and Senators adopting a strategy dubbed “anyone but Mugabe” where they voted for the party in other positions, but not party leader President Robert Mugabe.
In Masvingo, there is still confusion over who will represent the party in the forthcoming elections after two candidates, Munyaradzi Kereke and Elias Musakwa filed papers to represent Bikita West.
There were, however, reports yesterday that the party had resolved to remove Kereke from the race because of criminal cases such as accusations of statutory rape which the AG’s Office has, however, reportedly declined to prosecute.
In Mashonaland West, Mugabe’s backyard, several people were mulling a protest vote against imposed councillors, but have vowed to support Mugabe.
