National
Uninformed Mthwakazi Party Barred From Using Prohibited Symbol
5 June 2018
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By Paul Nyathi|The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission has barred Mthwakazi Republic Party from using its symbol which features an elephant.

According to Zimbabwe’s political parties regulations an elephant is prohibited to be featured as a political party symbol.

The following is the list of items prohibited from being used in political parties symbols.

1. A lion.
2. A bird of prey.
3. A rhinoceros.
4. A laurel wreath.
5. A leopard.
6. A cheetah.
7. An owl.
8. A sword.
9. A griffon.
10. A cobra.
11. A secretary bird.
12. A flaming torch.
13. An axe.
14. An elephant.
15. A buffalo.
16. A flame lily.

The MRP in a statement however expressed outrage at the ZEC claiming that the commission was sabotaging its campaign programs by barring them from using the symbol.

“On behalf of the National Executive Committee of Mthwakazi Republic Party, I announce to the media, our electorate and the General public that the party has recently availed a new logo for this year’s elections,” said the party spokesperson Mbonisi Gumbo in a statement.

“The iconic and original MRP logo that bears an elephant will not be used as an election symbol, at the insistence of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission.

“ZEC disqualified our logo, allegedly on the dictates of the electoral act that prohibits the use of an elephant as a party election symbol. We have changed our symbol under protest though, because ZEC has failed to give us the exact statutory instrument that criminalizes the use of an elephant as a party symbol. In the spirit of urgency, we have removed the elephant and replaced it with ‘ihawu’ the shield.

“We suspect the underhand shenanigans of the Coup Cabal that has infested ZEC, in this whole development. We have unearthed that the Coup government is working tirelessly and clandestinely to thwart the ascendancy of power by MRP in Matabeleland and part of Midlands.

“We invite our members accross Mthwakazi to take note of this development and to embrace it. We will continue to use the elephant as our party symbol, save for election purposes.”