In an interview with The Zimbabwean, Shiriyedenga said the party’s polling agents got information that presiding officers had been instructed not to use ink detectors as a way of fishing out those who were double dipping.
She however did not disclose the names of the ZEC officials and said, polling officers from her party indicated that this development had been communicated to them on the morning of election day.
“On the eve of election day, the ZEC announced that ink detectors would be used at polling stations but our polling agents told us that they had been briefed on the morning of election day that officers were going to conduct visual inspection of the voters' fingers against double voting,” she said.
She revealed that this move was suprising considering that there were some centres in Matabeleland where the machines were used.
“In ward 11, at Emakhandeni hall polling station, the detectors were used and I do not doubt that the ZEC availed the detectors to all polling stations,” she said.
Michael Mukashi, the party’s aspiring candidate for the National assembly seat for Zengeza West constituency in Chitungwiza, who lost to MDC- T’s Alexio Musundire said the provision of a ward based voters' roll opened gaps for double voting.
He accused the MDC- T of betraying the people by agreeing to use the ward based voters roll.
“There was nothing that could stop people from double voting and with the levels of complacency by some of the polling officers, those that wanted to double dip could easily do it,” he said.
He cited Seke 5 primary school polling station, in Zengeza West where he witnessed a citizen cast his vote without dipping his finger in the indelible ink.
“One wonders how many incidences like that happened,” he said.
Contacted for comment, the ZEC Deputy Chairpesron, Joyce Kazembe referred all questions to the chairperson, Justice Rita Makarau, whose secretary said was ‘working outside the office and was not available to comment’.
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