Zimbabweans urged to expose incidents of rigging

Reports are beginning to trickle in from across the country, containing details that highlight how the election was manipulated to ensure a ZANU PF win.

These details include how individuals were paid to vote numerous times at different polling stations. For example, in Mutare a source has revealed that he and others were bused into the area and given 10-20 ballots papers, with ZANU PF already chosen on the papers. The source said he voted seven times on election day.

Other details have been emerging of the numbers of people turned away from polling stations. The Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) said last week that at least 750, 000 voters in urban areas were turned away from the polls.

Meanwhile a ZESN official told SW Radio Africa on Monday that in Muzarabani alone 10, 000 of the 17, 000 registered voters there were “assisted.”

This “assistance” trend has been reported across the country. According to Phillip Pasirayi, the Director of the Centre for Community Development, a number of citizen reports they have received have been about the large number of “assisted voters.”

Pasirayi told SW Radio Africa that they have received a number of reports of other irregularities, including how voters were allowed to cast their ballots only with voter registration receipts as ‘proof’ of eligibility

“It is really important that people expose the rigging and we encourage people to do so. If they don’t, how else can we prove that the election process was so flawed?” Pasirayi said.

Zimbabweans can share whatever information they have with SW Radio Africa on email (news@swradioafrica.com), on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/SWRadioAfrica?fref=ts) or on Twitter (https://twitter.com/SWRAnews) using #Zim2013. Smart phone users can also add us on the free messaging WhatsApp service to send us pictures and information. The WhatsApp number is +44 777 311 9485. – SW Radio Africa