The police recorded a warned and cautioned statement from Chimhini who reported at Harare Central police station after being summoned there.
According to Chimhini’s lawyer, Tonderai Bhatasara, the police decided to charge the organisation and not the individuals.
“The ERC is being charged with contravening Section 40 (C) (1) (g) of the Electoral Act for allegedly conducting a voter education exercise without authority or permission from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission,” Bhatasara told The Zimbabwean.
The three volunteers from ERC who were arrested over the weekend in Borrowdale while allegedly conducting voter education have now been turned into State witnesses.
Farai Saungweme, Wadzanai Nyaku and Moses Chikura spent 48 hours in custody.
According to ERC the arrest of the three comes barely after two separate incidences of harassment and intimidation of some X1G Mobile Caravan Campaign officials were recorded in Masvingo and Gweru respectively.
“On both occasions, (on May 9, 2013) officials from X1G Campaign were briefly detained and questioned by individuals who identified themselves as state security agencies. The Masvingo incident witnessed eleven X1G officials and volunteers being stripped of their branded X1G t-Shirts at Great Zimbabwe University in full view of passers-by as the officials claimed that there was no authority sought to conduct the campaign,” ERC said in a statement.
The security details further confiscated all the paraphernalia which the X1G team was in possession of, ERC added.
“The X1G Campaign is a nationwide campaign which was launched publicly in June 2012 and the campaign is run through both print and electronic media, at times complemented by outreach activities that reach out to communities at grassroots level.
“The X1G campaign has also been utilising mainstream radio stations, in the form of radio programs whose main import is to raise awareness amongst the young people on the need to register as voters. It is instructive to note that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission has also been part of these programs, wherein the commission has participated in collaboration with the ERC,” the statement said.
The centre said the campaign is aimed at raising awareness on the need for young people to register as voters and take part in the actual voting process.
“Various initiatives have been used and will continue to be used to amplify the call for young people to register to vote especially in the wake of the mobile voter registration process,” ERC said.
Post published in: News