Most of those turned away have been voting at the centres since 2002, but were surprised to learn that their names were appearing elsewhere in remote rural areas.
According to Biti, at Tafara Primary by 12pm, 260 people had cast their vote while 130 were turned away. “Borrowdale School and some other urban polling stations were experiencing the huge turn-away,” said Biti.
The voting process has been reported to be proceeding at a deliberate snail’s pace in Warren Park. It is taking some 15 minutes for one person to vote.
In rural as such as Muzarabani, Mt Darwin, Mudzi, Mtoko, Chiweshe, Marambapfungwe among others, highly literate suspected MDC supporters were ordered to profess illiteracy and get ballot casting assistance from Zanu (PF) members.
Teachers and nurses were among the victims. Some Zanu (PF) candidates have been accused of printing fraudulent voter registration slips which were being used by their supporters to cast votes in Hatcliff.
Biti said some 6, 000 such slips were printed and police has since made some arrests. MDC-T also raised issues with people allowed to cast their ballots under the Special Vote, but had names not cancelled in the voters’ roll.
In Masvingo, Biti said some traditional leadership were forcing villagers to queue behind them at polling stations and vote Zanu (PF).
He expressed concern at what he described as coercion and intimidation of voters in Chitungwiza South. “Zanu (PF) is telling the electorate to memorise the last three digits on their ballot papers and present them to party officials.”
In Chipinge South, ballot papers had faces of candidates one Kumbula and Makuyana of Zanu (PF) and MDC-T interchanged. Following the anomaly, Biti said voting in some areas of the constituency has been stopped while other areas were proceeding regardless.
He said some ‘unofficial’ polling centres such as Kanyaya in Muzarabani have mushroomed despite not being on the list of polling stations. Concern was raised on the ZEC court application to allow those who failed to cast their ballots under the Special Vote, to do so today.
This was in breach of Section 81 A of the electoral law, which forbids people granted authority to vote under the Special Vote, to cast the ballot in any other form later besides the special one applied for.
Under what Biti said were suspicious circumstances, ZEC was accused of printing more 2 million ballot papers on top of the already printed 8.2 million. He said ZEC ‘was behaving grossly unreasonable and showing arrogance and insensitivity towards its handling of the voting process.
Biti said in face of the irregularities, Zimbabweans were in a defiant mood and people’s victory will never be stolen this time around. He said MDC-T was participating in the election mainly because people wanted change at all costs.
Post published in: News