ZIMBABWE Electoral Commission (Zec) chief inspector Jane Chigiji yesterday said the stray ballots allegedly found in MDC-T chief elections agent Morgan Komichi’s possession could not have been issued by the commission due to their strange characteristics.
SENIOR REPORTER
Testifying before Harare magistrate Tendai Mahwe in a case in which Komichi allegedly contravened the Electoral Act, Chigiji said the commission used special felt pens to write on the tamper –proof envelopes that contained the ballots’ envelopes.
The tamper–proof envelope that Komichi allegedly presented to Zec containing ballots that had been issued to Constable Mugove Chiginya, however, was written with an ordinary pen.
Asked to explain the discrepancies by defence counsel Alec Muchadehama during cross–examination, Chigiji said she was unable to do so.
“The envelope is similar to the ones from Zec. But we used felt pens to write on those envelopes so I can’t confirm or deny that this envelope came from Zec. The envelope may have come from Zec, but I dispute the manner of the writing,” she said.
Chigiji, who was also the special voting team leader, said apart from being written Zec, there was no other indication that the envelope indeed came from the electoral body.
Although Chiginya testified in court that he was registered as a voter in Mbare constituency, Chigiji yesterday said some voters did not know where they were registered.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
Muchadehama said it was surprising that Chigiji’s sentiment was exactly the same given by Zec’s chief legal officer Shamiso Chahuruva.
“So she told you that if you are asked a similar question you will say voters are ignorant of their constituencies?” Muchadehama queried.
Chigiji, however, attributed the similarity to the fact that she and Chahuruva did more or less the same kind of work at the commission. She, however, said she was not able to dispute that Chiginya was registered in Mbare as confirmed by his SV1 form.
Asked about where Ward 9 was located, she said she was not able to tell off hand because there were 46 wards in Harare.
“But (Zec’s deputy chief elections officer) Silaigwana said we should wait for Chigiji because she was the one dealing with that, but here you are, knowing nothing,” Muchadehama said. The trial continues today.
