The organisation also lashed at SADC mediations being facilitated by South African President Thabo Mbeki as a total failure as the environment which led to these talks had not changed.Â
The environment which was prevailing in January 2007 is the same environment which is prevailing now in January 2008, lamented the ZESN chairperson addressing a press conference in Johannesburg the last Friday.
ZESN said the country was still facing massive irregularities in the electoral processes necessary in promoting free and fair elections such as vote buying, intimidation and lack of transparency and enough participation in the delimitation exercise.
Zimbabwe is still far from yielding a level environment and police’s heavy handedness over the recent Movement for Democratic Change march and some existing irregularities in the delimitation exercise which has not been made public makes it impossible to have an election in March, ZESN chairperson Noel Gututa said.
ZESN also added that according to reports it was receiving from its observers the ruling party ZANU PF had started its machinations of rigging elections well in advance and said that would affect the outcome and yet another contested legitimacy.
Our investigations have revealed that the government’s mechanization programme which had brought in tractors and seeds was being manipulated to ZANU PF’s advantage.
The use of government property in manipulation of voters was being evidenced in Mutoko north, Mashonaland East and Mahusekwa in Marondera, added Gututa a press conference.
These recent calls by ZESN are in support of sentiments echoed by National Constitutional Assembly Chairperson Dr Lovemore Madhuku that with the current environment after elections Mugabe would still be the President of Zimbabwe.
In another development reports coming from the opposition MDC officials says the party is now confident of pulling out of the elections after seeing the unwillingness of Mugabe to reform in actions in order to promote a free and fair elections.
Well placed sources within the opposition alerted this journalist that a delegation of the party had left for Ethiopia to brief the SADC on its failure to help end the crisis in the country.
Post published in: News