By Paul Nyathi|The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has dismissed claims by the MDC Alliance that they were closed out of the votes collation centre to verify the presidential election results before they were announced.
ZEC Acting Chief Elections Officer Mr Utoile Silaigwana revealed to the media in a statement that two MDC top officials – Messrs Jameson Timba and Morgen Komichi – were present at the National Elections Command Centre during the collation and verification of results.
“We had two of them, Mr Morgen Komichi and Mr Jameson Timba,” Mr Silaigwana revealed. “They were here from the first day we received the V11 and the V23 forms from the constituencies. They were with us throughout and I can vouch that I personally assisted them to give them the copies of our V11s.
“I said to them ‘This is where we do our collation’. First they were taken around and it was explained to them what happens in the collation room. I personally happened to be there by the time they were taken around, and I personally demonstrated to them that we display the V11 forms and any other documents that come from any other constituencies.”
Mr Silaigwana said he invited the two officials to take notes and make inquiries, but they did not register any complaints.
He said while representatives of the other 22 candidates came and went away, the MDC Alliance duo “literally camped” at the Command Centre.
“Not even at one time did they say they objected to the results. In fact, I even said to them, ‘Look you had representatives or you had representatives and agents also at all the polling stations, and you had agents at the ward centres and at the constituency centres. Those agents were given the same documents we are using here and if you want to bring them and compare it’s up to you’. Whether they heard it or not I am not sure. It’s another thing.”
“When we finished collating the results they were there, then they suddenly turned and say, ‘We have not seen the results’. I think that’s being irresponsible.”
Komichi could not immediately be contacted for a comment on the claims by ZEC.