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Zec official denies conniving against Komichi

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THE trial of MDC–T chief elections officer Morgan Komichi continued yesterday.

THE trial of MDC–T chief elections officer Morgan Komichi continued yesterday after his lawyer Alec Muchadehama explained to the court that he had failed to turn up for the hearing on Monday because he had other commitments at the High Court.

SENIOR REPORTER

Prosecutor Michael Mugabe had complained to Harare magistrate Tendai Mahwe that Muchadehama’s conduct was unprofessional.

The trial — which was also attended by MDC-T chief whip Innocent Gonese and Dzivarasekwa MP Solomon Madzore — then continued with Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) deputy director of public relations Tendai Pamire giving evidence.

During cross–examination by Muchadehama, Pamire said Zec never officially informed its employees of the resignation of commissioners Mkhululi Nyathi and Professor Geoff Feltoe following the announcement of the results of the July 31 harmonised elections.

Pamire said he only heard about the resignations through the media, but refused to repeat the reasons proffered in the media articles. “I remember reading that the two have resigned, but when such news happens, we are officially informed by the chief elections officer, but it has not happened,” he said.

Pamire also refused to comment on Muchadehama’s suggestion that the reason for the resignations was that the commissioners did not want anything to do with Zec.

He also gave details that contradicted a Press statement issued by Zec and published in a local daily on July 29, 2013 on issues surrounding the date on which Komichi presented the stray ballots and the person who received them.

The contradictions, Muchadehama suggested, meant the Press statement was misleading and factually incorrect, but Pamire dismissed the suggestion saying “the manner in which the statement was done was immaterial”.

But Muchadehama then said the manner in which Pamire was contradicting the statement typified the chaos at Zec.

“And this is typical of what Zec was doing in this case, stating facts that had not happened, attributing actions and words to the accused person, just manufacturing things,” Muchadehama said.

Pamire, however, said Muchadehama’s assertions were unthinkable because it did not make sense to him that an entire commission made up of a judge and several lawyers could connive to falsely accuse Komichi of contravening the law.

The trial continues today.