The promised deadline for Edmund Kudzayi’s publication of a ‘public interest story’ has come and gone. He says the minister in question has engaged him professionally and therefore he will not be exposing his family to unnecessary humiliation.
By Lloyd Msipa
He says he has given Justice Chigumba until Friday for ‘her to do the right thing’. He has drafted a public statement that would be released after Justice Chigumba’s superiors have ‘approved the release’. What utter nonsense. I think Edmund Kudzayi has realised that his story is full of holes. Justice Chigumba like everybody else has a private life. And her private life is exactly that, private. This attempt to try and terrorise the woman should be condemned by all right-thinking citizens. To test his story, let us consider a few scenarios. As a Judge, Justice Chigumba’s boss would be the Judge Brigadier General George Mutandwa Chiweshe.
As the chairperson of the Zimbabwe Election Commission (ZEC) she was appointed by the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) and therefore the OPC is her boss. So is Edmund Kudzayi trying to tell us that between the Judge president and the OPC, one of these is supposed to approve a statement he drafted, what bullocks! The truth of the matter is that Edmund Kudzayi represents a desperate group of people who are working day and night to try and derail the elections. They are on a crusade to tarnish those ZEC commissioners who have chosen to stand by the law
Chamisa writes to SADC
Nelson Chamisa has written to all the individual SADC Heads of State. His story remains the same. He wants the ballot papers to be printed in his presence. He wants the voters roll to be printed to his personal satisfaction. He wants to be a player and referee at the same time. ZEC has already declared that the issues of the ballot and voter’s role printing as water under the bridge as the process of printing the ballot papers is already completed and the police officers have already finished their postal voting. The printing of the ballot papers for the second time will mean re-doing the postal voting process if the said concerns are valid. That will violate the law as the postal voting has to be to be done 15 days before the general election.
It is therefore unreasonable for the MDC Alliance to demand the reprinting of the ballot paper within the time frame left before the elections. What is apparent is that the MDC Alliance is going all systems out to try and derail the elections. Further to this, Chamisa is demanding that he meets the ZEC chairperson. This demand is unreasonable. There are fifty-five political parties that also wish to meet the ZEC Chairperson, it is prudent therefore that ZEC meets all the political parties in the context of the multi-party liaison committee. ZEC schedules regular multi-party interactions regularly and the MDC Alliance must be compelled to use this platform. It is my understanding that SADC has agreed to attend these multiparty interactions to understand the dynamics of the Zimbabwean political process.
Nothing can stop elections
The election date proclaimed can no longer be stopped, except by an ‘act of God’. The death of one of the presidential candidates may affect the presidential component of the elections, but it will not stop the Member of Parliament and local government elections. The only institution that could stop the election is the Constitutional Court, even then the applicants will need to present compelling reasons for the constitutional court to rule to suspend the elections. In the absence of that, the election cannot be stopped. At a security level, I have been made to understand efforts are afoot to waylay the vehicles that will be transporting the ballot papers to the various centres. Yes, it is that bad. Police are aware I am told. In the event that ballot papers don’t make it to the relevant centre, elections will still be held everywhere else with ZEC expected to take the necessary measures so elections are held in a free and fair environment.
Significant improvement in electoral management for 2018 elections
The Zimbabwe Election Support Network has just completed its audit of the 2018 voters roll and has noted in the press release dated 19th July 2018 that, the 2018 Voters’ roll is an improvement over the 2013 preliminary voters roll. In terms of accuracy the ZESN audit did not identify any anomalies in the 2018 voters roll that affected a large percentage or registrants and in terms of completeness 2018, Voters Roll is said by ZESN to be more inclusive than the 2013. There is a free and fair environment to campaign and sell policies to voters. Some researchers are even predicting a run-off because voters are prepared to make their choices.
So why is the MDC Alliance determined to discredit this election and go to bed with the G.40 political desperados? The answer is simple, the MDC Alliance fear a crushing defeat because Chamisa will find it hard to regain leadership of the MDC Alliance at the back of a defeat. Also, Zanu Pf will be emboldened by victory to implement far reaching changes which will render the opposition as currently configured hopeless and less relevant. The G.40 has the same fears, ED’s victory will mean a longer stay in exile and the long arm of the law will eventually catch up with them. – Handeyi tione
Source: Politics Law & Social Thoughts
