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Massive vote rigging alleged in Makoni East
Zimbabwe Peace Project
April 02, 2005

Massive electoral irregularities bordering on electoral fraud have been allegedly unearthed in Makoni East, with reports indicating that despite the Movement for Democratic Change having said to have won in several polling stations, the final result still pronounced Shadreck Chipanga of Zanu PF as the victor.

Chipanga, who won against Pishai Muchauraya of the MDC is said to have employed the services of traditional leaders, mostly headmen, National Service youths and councillors to intimidate locals into voting for him. Information at hand has it that in several polling stations in the largely rural constituency, voters were threatened, by Zanu PF-aligned headmen and chiefs just before casting their votes. This was said to have been done in full view of police details assigned to these polling stations.

At Nyahonye Secondary School (along the Rusape-Hwedza highway) for example on the polling day, four known Zanu PF-aligned kraal heads reportedly situated themselves in strategic positions within the 200m radius of the polling station, where they are said to have been taking down identity particulars of their subjects, before ‘advising’ them to ‘remember to vote for ‘musangano’ (apparently referring to Zanu PF).

It is alleged that villagers were instructed to pass through Headman Nyahonye’s home, to pledge allegiance to the ruling party on their way to various polling stations. Two of the headmen at the polling station, Nyahonye and Mazvidze allegedly refused to leave after polling agents tried to remove them. The police were said to have intervened afterwards to quell the situation which was threatening to degenerate into a stampede.

At Croston farm, a local Zanu PF Councillor Nyatoro allegedly intimidated voters by taking down their particulars in full view of the police and Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) officials, who were said to have remained unconcerned with the said development.

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