Hurungwe West independent parliamentary candidate Temba Mliswa has filed an urgent application at the Electoral Court seeking postponement of the June 10 by-elections citing a sharp increase in voter intimidation by suspected Zanu PF supporters.
BY CHARLES LAITON
In his urgent chamber application filed on Monday, Mliswa accused Zanu PF secretary for administration Ignatius Chombo of fuelling the alleged terror and enlisting the services of the army to intimidate the electorate to vote for the ruling party’s candidate, Keith Guzah.
This came as Mliswa was arrested yesterday for allegedly pulling down Guzah’s campaign posters and disrupting his meetings.
Mliswa’s driver, Blessing Masango, told NewsDay that his boss was arrested at a roadblock on his way to Chinhoyi to report a case of assault and stoning of his vehicle by Zanu PF youths in Hurungwe West.
“We were attending a Zec (Zimbabwe Electoral Commission) meeting at Zvimonja business centre when Zanu PF youths led by Nigel Murambiwa came to us and beat one of us saying it is a Zanu PF meeting . . . they stoned our vehicle and we fled to Magunje Police Station to make a report, but we were told to proceed to Chinhoyi as there were no officers capable of handling the case,” Masango said Police in Magunje were unreachable for comment last night. This is Mliswa’s second arrest since he announced plans to contest the by-election. In April, the former Zanu PF Mashonaland West provincial chairman was arrested for allegedly disrupting Guzah’s campaign rallies, but he was later acquitted of the charge.
In his Electoral Court application, Mliswa cited Zec chairperson Justice Rita Makarau as first respondent, Zec as second respondent, Zanu PF and Chombo as third and fourth respondents respectively.
“The 3rd and 4th respondents (Zanu PF and Chombo) have enlisted the services of the military in their endeavour to instil fear in the voting population of Hurungwe West and to that end, military bases have been set up in all schools within the geographical confines of the constituency and these soldiers are moving around threatening persons perceived to be loyal to me with assault and death if they continue supporting me or vote for me on election day,” Mliswa said in his affidavit.
Mliswa also said Chombo was allegedly recorded threatening unspecified action on his supporters.
“There is video evidence of these meetings and the 4th respondent’s utterances. If the 4th respondent denies ever making these statements, I will seek leave of the court to submit the video evidence,” Mliswa said.
Mliswa added that traditional leaders in Mashonaland West province had also been roped in to campaign for Guzah.
Part of Mliswa’s draft order read: “That the by-election in Hurungwe West scheduled for June 10 2015 be and hereby postponed to a date to be set by the 11th respondent (the President of Zimbabwe) upon certification by the 2nd respondent (Zec) that the electoral environment in Hurungwe West is conducive to the holding of a free and fair election.”
In the alternative, Mliswa pleaded with the court to order Justice Makarau and Hurungwe chiefs to assure the electorate that they were allowed to vote for a candidate of their choice.
He also urged the court to order the disbandment of “the military bases set up at all schools in Hurungwe West Constituency with immediate effect.”
The matter is yet to be allocated a judge.
