It was always obvious from the inception of the coalition government in February 2009 that Zanu (PF) would use its dominance drawn from the abuse of the state security agencies to frustrate any attempts to implement fundamental political, electoral, media and security sector reforms. Zimbabwe will not have free and fair elections until tainted members of the Central Intelligence Organisation and former senior soldiers who work for the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission have been removed from the secretariat that effectively runs that body.
State media pushes Kazembe
While many people naively celebrated the appointment of a new electoral commission, its influence was always going to be restricted to setting up policy. The secretariat is still packed with people loyal to President Robert Mugabe and the hard to digest fact for many is that this secretariat actually runs an election. The Zanu (PF) controlled state media has been busy over the past few weeks trying to spruce up the discredited image of ZEC deputy chairperson Joyce Kazembe.
She is being quoted saying all the right but obvious things in a vain attempt to win back the confidence of the doubting electorate.
“In 2008 there were a lot of human errors but we do not rule out mischief. So we would like to eliminate human error. When votes are transferred, we hope it will be done through the computer,” Kazembe mumbled. She has been with the ZEC for over 15 years and has been involved in five disputed elections, which Mugabe won. She was part of the discredited election commission, headed by retired brigadier general George Chiweshe.
That commission withheld presidential election results for weeks in March 2008, amid reports the period was used to manipulate and massage the figures that denied Morgan Tsvangirai an outright victory over a shocked Mugabe.
The current Chief Elections Officer is Lovemore Chipunza Sekeramayi, a former member of the President’s Office. The CIO falls under the President’s Office and Sekeramayi’s deployment in such a strategic position is very deliberate.
Fiercely loyal
The two directors who work under Sekeramayi, Utoile Silaigwana (Operations) and Notayi Mutemasango (Administration and Finance), are former soldiers fiercely loyal to Mugabe. Silaingwana is responsible for polling, training, election logistics, voter education and public relations for the commission.
It was this same ZEC secretariat that was responsible for the sham election in June 2008, marked by bloodshed, enforced disappearances and outrageous human rights violations, all of which were a violation of the Electoral Act. The same individuals went on to declare the election free and fair.
During the 2002 presidential election the recently promoted Major General Douglas Nyikayaramba was the Chief Executive Officer of the commission. He made sure the body was stuffed with soldiers, state security agents and Zanu (PF) militia. His recruits are still there and will do their utmost to ensure Mugabe wins.
Post published in: News