Today is July 31, exactly two years after the people’s vote was pilfered in yet another stolen election in this country. Despite massive election promises of progress and prosperity, Zanu PF has dismally failed to deliver; the economy is on its knees, while the country is facing severe food shortages.
By Luke Tamborinyoka
All economic indicators are headed southwards as the party in government has no clue on how to deliver competent services to a despondent nation.
In yet one of his rambling weekly columns in the State media, President Robert Mugabe’s spokesperson George Charamba, aka Nathaniel Manheru, conceded that Zanu PF was finding it hard to deliver on its election promises.
He wrote soon after the July 31, 2013 election: “The fastest casualty of electoral victory is the happy world of campaigning where everything is possible. After that world goes, in comes an imperfect and dismal one, a world where it can’t.”
In yet another candid instalment, Charamba said Zimbabweans had since come to the conclusion that if you want Zanu PF to showcase its failure to govern, just let it win an election!
Soon after the election of July 31, there was a huge national funeral, with most Zimbabweans unclear about how their verdict had been stolen in broad daylight.
In a moment, Morgan Tsvangirai’s competence in government evidenced by fully stocked shops and functioning health and education system was history. By August 4, 2013, as despondency set in the country, the good times of the MDC in government had become a distant past; indeed another country.
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With painful memories today, we recount to the nation how the people’s will was subverted so that we can all draw lessons and vaccinate future elections from similar subversions.
Soon after the election the MDC published a report on how the people’s vote was subverted.
We realise that many Zimbabweans did not have access to that report and still do not have the intricate details of how the people’s mandate was pick-pocketed.
Today, my mission is to submit a summation of the MDC report, which is already in the public domain, on how Zanu PF stole your vote.
How the people’s vote was stolen in 2013
Role of Nikuv and the Chinese Communist Party (CPC)
l Mugabe personally supervised and paid Nikuv for the rigging machinery
l Mugabe hosted Nikuv Projects CEO Emmanuel Antebi on June 20 and July 31, 2013 in Harare for briefings
l The CPC of China arranged and facilitated deployment of agents to assist in rigging
l Jing Huwao was deployed from China to Harare in June 2013 to help rigging.
The political command
l Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa, Sydney Sekeramayi, Saviour Kasukuwere, Webster Shamu, Ignatius Chombo, Kembo Mohadi, Christopher Mushohwe, Nicholas Goche and Obert Mpofu were delegated to the election command in October 2012
l Mnangagwa and team went on missions to Israel, China, Angola, the Central Africa Republic and the DRC
l Vast technical expertise and support was provided by Nikuv and the Chinese
l The Chinese were instrumental in development of special watermarked ballot paper
The Militarisation of the election
l Serving and retired soldiers were at the epicentre of management and implementation of the rigging machinery
l Major Chinese experts played a big role in training Zanu PF militia
l Militia trained in ballot stuffing, fake IDs creation and fake voter registration slips
l Secret rigging command centres countrywide were run by the military
l Ballot paper, fake IDs, fake registration slips stocked at command centres
l Military, intelligence officials controlled the mobile voter registration process
The (Non) Role of Zec
l The Justice Rita Makarau-led Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) was rendered useless, forced to follow behind rigging agents
l Three commissioners have confessed that Zec ceded authority and control to military rigging agents
l Military, intelligence personnel at Zec directly took instructions from commanders in the management committee
l Three Zec commissioners raised concerns with Makarau in July
l On July 15 2013, Makarau met Registrar-General Tobaiwa Mudede over concerns that were raised by political contestants
l Makarau, Zec kept in the dark about ballot paper printing and distribution
Zec commission forced to take instructions from rigging machinery leaders
Registrar-General’s role
l Working with Nikuv, the RG created 1 million ghost voters
l Used strategies such as delaying voter registration and frustrating urban potential voters
l Diluted urban constituencies by issuing documents to rural Zanu PF supporters
l Allowed RG Department voters’ roll team to relocate to KGVI Army HQ on July 15, 2013
l The RG denied political parties access to voters’ roll until a few days before election
l Surrendered both hard and electronic copies of voters’ roll to military and intelligence command
The Funding Process
l The DRC and Equatorial Guinea paid $10 million each for the machinery
l Marange diamonds were siphoned, sold and proceeds used to buy votes by paying Nikuv and other rigging agents Numbers and figures
l $100 million was the total amount used to rig the election
l $13 million was paid to Nikuv in secret transactions without the knowledge of Treasury.
l 3 million ballot papers smuggled into army bases and marked by youth militia
l 1,5 million fake names and names of deceased people on voters’ roll
l 1 million potential voters disenfranchised
l 250 000 people brought to Harare to dilute urban constituencies
l 35 000 Zanu PF youth militia trained and involved in rigging
l 1 000 retired senior army and intelligence officials recalled in June to boost militarisation
So this is the timeline of how the people’s verdict was stolen two years ago to the day.
And today, as we brace for the 2018 election, Zanu PF is trying to employ the same tactics. Only recently, Constance Chigwamba, a long-time bureaucrat in the Civil Service Commission was appointed the chief elections officer.
It is important today, as we remember the fraud of 2013, to restate that as a party we will only participate in a truly free, fair and credible poll.
We will only participate in elections predicated on far-reaching reforms that will ensure a credible and legitimate outcome.
And this time, we will use all constitutionally permissible avenues to ensure that the granary of the people’s verdict is well protected from these weevils that have frequently gnawed away the credibility of our elections!
In the meantime, Tongai tione!
l Luke Tamborinyoka doubles as the spokesperson to MDC-T leader Morgan Tsvangirai and director of communications in the MDC-T. He writes here in his personal capacity.
