MDC-T appoints three-member team to stop rigging in 2018 – urges Mudede not to rig voter registration




MDC-T Secretary-General Douglas Mwonzora
Spread the love

The Movement for Democratic Change today appointed a three-member team led by secretary-general Douglas Mwonzora to engage the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission and the Registrar-General’s office to ensure that the 2018 elections are not rigged.

It also urged Registrar-General Tobaiwa Mudede to register all Zimbabweans especially those in urban areas which are generally considered to be opposition strongholds.

Mudede announced yesterday that his office is launching a nation-wide registration of citizens to issue birth certificates, death certificates and machine readable national identify cards from Monday next week.

In a statement today MDC-T presidential spokesman Luke Tamborinyoka said the party’s anti-rigging unit met for four hours today and appointed a three-member team, led by Mwonzora, secretary for elections Murisi Zwizwai and the party’s chief of staff, Sessel Zvidzai to discuss the logistics for next year’s elections.

Earlier, party spokesman Obert Gutu issued another statement urging Mudede to be fair during the registration exercise.

“The planned national mobile registration exercise should be designed in such a manner that no eligible person would fail to obtain the new machine–readable national ID,” Gutu said.

“Millions of Zimbabweans, in both rural and urban areas, are still holding onto their metal national IDs and it is, therefore, incumbent upon the Office of the Registrar–General, to make sure that this exercise is efficiently and effectively rolled out countrywide.

“It is a notorious fact that Tobaiwa Mudede has previously been linked with allegations of aiding and abetting the ZANU- PF regime’s vote rigging shenanigans.

“Perhaps rightly so, Zimbabweans somehow believe that there could be a sinister motive behind the Registrar – General’s planned move to roll out the national mobile registration exercise at this juncture.”

MDC’s anti-rigging unit in crucial meeting

The MDC’s anti-rigging unit today held an urgent meeting at the instruction of President Morgan Tsvangirai to deliberate on strategic electoral matters in light of Registrar-General Tobaiwa Mudede’s proposed nationwide blitz to roll out a countrywide birth and identity card registration exercise starting next Monday.

Consequent to the four-hour meeting by the anti-rigging unit, the party dispatched a high-powered three-member delegation to engage with the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission and the Registrar-General’s Office to discuss the modalities and logistics around this important national exercise. The three-member team, to be led by Secretary-General Mr. Douglas Mwonzora, also comprises secretary for Elections Hon. Murisi Zwizwai and the party’s chief of staff, Hon. Sessel Zvidzai.

The party will issue a comprehensive statement after the engagement with ZEC and the RG’s Office.

In the meantime, the party is urging Zimbabweans to turn out in their large numbers to get the requisite national registration cards and other identity documents that will enable them to exercise their right to vote.

2018 Chakachaya!!!  2018 Akuthambanga!!!

Luke Tamborinyoka
Presidential spokesperson and Director of Communications

ZEC must ensure that all eligible Zimbabweans are registered to vote

Tobaiwa Mudede, the Registrar–General, on Tuesday, August 29, 2017, announced that beginning from Monday, September 4, 2017, his office will roll out a three – month national mobile registration exercise for national identity cards, birth and death certificates in preparation for voter registration.

More importantly, the Registrar–General announced that metal national identity cards are being phased out and that only those people with machine–readable plastics IDs will be able to register as voters.

The MDC sincerely hopes that this three–month mobile registration exercise shall be equitably distributed throughout the country’s urban, rural, peri–urban and commercial farming areas. On numerous occasions, Zimbabweans, particularly those who live in urban areas, have complained about the long delays in queues for voter registration, which state of affairs has unfortunately contributed to voter apathy in these areas.

The planned national mobile registration exercise should, thus, be designed in such a manner that no eligible person would fail to obtain the new machine–readable national ID. Millions of Zimbabweans, in both rural and urban areas, are still holding onto their metal national IDs and it is, therefore, incumbent upon the Office of the Registrar–General, to make sure that this exercise is efficiently and effectively rolled out countrywide.

It is a notorious fact that Tobaiwa Mudede has previously been linked with allegations of aiding and abetting the Zanu PF regime’s vote rigging shenanigans. Perhaps rightly so, Zimbabweans somehow believe that there could be a sinister motive behind the Registrar – General’s planned move to roll out the national mobile registration exercise at this juncture.

The MDC shall remain vigilant to ensure that Mudede and people of his ilk are not allowed to hoodwink the toiling masses of Zimbabwe by designing and facilitating an election rigging exercise under the guise of a national mobile registration program.

The Zanu PF regime, together with Tobaiwa Mudede, cannot be easily trusted. They have a chequered record that makes the majority of the people extremely suspicious about the exact intentions of the planned national mobile registration exercise.

We would also like to call upon Zimbabweans, particularly the youth, to make sure that they obtain the new machine–readable national IDs. The 2018 elections offer the suppressed and impoverished masses of Zimbabwe a unique opportunity to boot the insipidly corrupt and hopelessly incompetent Zanu PF regime out of power for good. The future of our great country is firmly in our hands and never again should we allow the renegade and despotic Zanu PF regime, fronted by Robert Mugabe, to usurp our basic and fundamental human rights as well as to loot and plunder our God–given natural resources.

MDC: Equal Opportunities for All
Obert Chaurura Gutu
MDC National Spokesperson