By Oluhle Sibanda|  Below is the direct transcript (Ndebele to English) of the drama which happened yesterday at the ZRP Ross camp station: 

*Woman* : I respect you all but for today there’s nothing that you’re going to do and your plot won’t work. What are you doing? Who said you should go ahead with this election? Call your bosses and tell them that you are not going to work today and we are not going anywhere, we rather sleep here (Ross Camp) .
*Man1* :Elections are supposed to be free and fair. All of us are citizens
*Policeman* : They are free. Here they are (pointing at a group of police officers) ask them if they are not free.
*Man 2:* They are not free and we are instructed to vote ZANU PF.
Woman: first group, second group, third group
Policeman: Listen, wait a minute we have observers there and others in place.
*Woman* : Where are our polling agents? Did you tell them about this election?
*Man 2:* We still have grieviences on the ballot paper and you are voting? What is that?
*Policeman* : This is the wrong forum to present that.
*ALL of them:* No
Man 1: ZEC is not aware of what you are doing
*Man 2* : Mr Ncube is the one in charge of Bulawayo
*Policeman* : One person at a time, we can sing together not talk at the Same time.
*Man 1* : ZEC have no idea of what you are doing here.
*Policeman* : Received a phone call.
*Woman* : Am a polling agent and am supposed to check how many drop ballot papers are in the box

Terrence Mawawa

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said the ruling party Zanu PF will continue to respect liberation war hero Robert Mugabe despite his ignominious resignation.

Addressing party supporters at a rally in Lupane today, Mnangagwa said Mugabe and several liberation war icons played a traceable role in the struggle for independence.

“I have always said we will continue to honour the founding fathers of the revolution.

Father Zimbabwe , Joshua Nkomo and Cde Robert Mugabe were influential in the liberation struggle,” said Mnangagwa.

He also accused G-40 elements- Saviour Kasukuwere, Grace Mugabe, Patrick Zhuwawo, and Ignatius Chombo of capturing executive powers.

Terrence Mawawa

President Emmerson Mnangagwa will remain in office after the July 30 elections, Vice President Constantino Chiwengwa has said.

Addressing thousands of party supporters at a rally in Lupane, Chiwenga said Mnangagwa would remain in force as victory was certain for him.

“Cde Mnangagwa is your President. He is your current President and he will remain in office after the July 30 elections.

Victory is certain for us and we do not have to worry about losing the coming elections,” said Chiwenga.

Terrence Mawawa

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has bemoaned the centralisation of administrative power in the capital city Harare.

Mnangagwa has conceded the country’ s provinces have been crippled by the centralisation of decision making in the capital.

Speaking at a rally in Lupane today Mnangagwa said :

“There is need for devolution of power because each province must grow its economy.

That has not been happening because of centralisation of power. My government will introduce new policies after the July 30 elections.

There are abundant resources in all our 10 provinces and we want every area to benefit from its resources,” said Mnangagwa.

“Matabeleland North Province has a lot of resources and we will negotiate with potential investors for the development of this place,” added Mnangagwa.

Terrence Mawawa

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said he will not lose sleep over the demonstration held by thousands of MDC Alliance supporters in Harare on Wednesday.

Speaking at a rally in Lupane today, Mnangagwa mocked opposition supporters saying he would not be moved by their protests.

“We are not worried about their demonstrations.Let them demonstrate because even if they protest in numbers that does not mean they will win the elections.

Let us wait for election day and we will prove to the whole world that Zanu PF stands for the will of the people,” Mnangagwa said.

Thousands of disgruntled citizens of Zimbabwe marched along the streets of Harare on Wednesday as they protested at ZEC’ s ineptitude.

By Own Correspondent| Build Zimbabwe Alliance Presidential hopeful Dr Noah Manyika has accused the country’s elections body ZEC of dragging Zimbabwe back to the Robert Mugabe era by denying that police officers had voted when in fact they had as confirmed by the Zimbabwe Republic Police.

Dr Manyika said failure by ZEC to acknowledge that police officers at Ross camp in Bulawayo had actually voted when the elections body is responsible for elections was reflective that nothing had changed in the country hence the mantra of being in a new dispensation was meaningless.

Below is the full statement by Dr Manyika:

The response from ZEC published in The Herald suggesting that those who are expressing their anger at the illegal voting by police at Ross Camp in Bulawayo were malcontents hell bent on causing alarm and despondency reminds us of the worst days of the Mugabe regime. During this era,  everything was blamed on enemies seeking to bring about regime change.

We were supposed to be past this now after November 2017, but clearly nothing has changed. Contrary to ZEC’s claims that nothing was going on, the police themselves have confirmed that they were actually voting.

If ZEC did not know that this was going on then there is something terribly wrong as they are the body responsible for the conduct of the elections, not the police. The people of Zimbabwe are not blind to this, and any person who genuinely loves our country and feels for what people are going through, including the international observers who are supposedly here to ensure that we have a free and fair plebiscite must roundly condemn this.

While they are at it, they must also ask why it is necessary to have the kind of police presence I witnessed in Lupane today where ED Mnangagwa is addressing a rally. November 2017 is supposed to have ended our days as a police state, but apparently the people of Matabeleland North need visible reminders that those days can return just like that.

What this country needs is irreversible change and we have a responsibility that it happens once and for all in this season.

JOHANE Masowe eChishanu Vadzidzi VaJesu Church founder, Aaron Mhukuta Gomo, commonly known as Madzibaba Wimbo, died yesterday morning at Arundel Hospital in Harare after succumbing to pneumonia.

He was 96.

Madzibaba Wimbo, also known as Mudzidzi Majinesta, was born on December 25, 1922.

Madzibaba Wimbo is famed for his 1957 prophecy where he predicted that a man with the name of an angel Gabriel would be independent Zimbabwe’s first leader, which came to pass in 1980.

Last year, Mnangagwa visited the same Wimbo at his shrine and got involved in a bizarre church rite, with the popular prophet telling the gathering that the then VP needed help if he were to ascend to the presidency. The army intervention was interpreted by many as the help that Wimbo had prophesied.

In March President Emmerson Mnangagwa donated over 200 laptops to Centre for Zimbabwe Africa school run by Madzibaba Wimbo. The computers were handed over to the school by ICT and Cyber Security Minister Supa Mandiwanzira.

Minister of State for Mashonaland Central Provincial Affairs, Advocate Martin Dinha, Provincial Administrator, Mr Cosmos Chiringa and Zanu-PF candidate for Shamva South, Cde Oscar Gorerino visited the Centre Zimbabwe Africa headquarters and the family homestead in Goora area of Madziwa to pay their condolences yesterday.

“We have lost a strong man of God who supported the Government and Zanu-PF. African Independent Churches, especially Madzibaba Wimbo, fought colonialism and the Smith regime. They stood for black emancipation. During the liberation struggle he prophesied that former president Robert Mugabe would rule this country,” said Adv Dinha.

Madzibaba Wimbo’s son, Professor Gomo said they heard of the death from the grapevine.

“For three years we were not allowed to see our father. I hope we will be allowed to view his body. I stay 10 minutes away from the hospital where he died but I was not informed. I do not know how we will co-operate with such people. We appeal to Government to assist us,” he said.

He is survived by two wives, 18 children and several grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements will be advised in due course.

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) which earlier in the day attacked the MDC claiming that there is no postal voting at all being performed by police officers, have been forced to admit that the development is truly happening. (ALSO WATCH THE PROCEEDING VIDEO LEAK) – Below is a state media article on the expose’ :

Postal voting for the July 30 harmonised elections is underway around the country as the ZEC has dispatched ballots to all those eligible to vote under the system, the electoral body’s acting chief elections officer Mr Utoile Silaigwana said yesterday.

He said the absence of ZEC officials in places where postal voting was taking place was constitutional.

The Electoral Act states that postal voting is available to individuals and their spouses who are outside Zimbabwe on Government business on polling day.

Security and polling officers on duty on voting day are also eligible for postal voting.
“The postal vote process is underway,” said Mr Silaigwana.

“We have indeed dispatched some of the postal ballots not only to the police but all those who are eligible, including those in foreign missions. Since we have already dispatched some of the postal votes, we are expecting them to be casting their votes wherever they are and we are now waiting to receive back the postal votes so that we can take them to the respective polling stations.”

A ZEC schedule shows the postal vote ballots should be returned by July 16, 14 days before the polls as stipulated by the law.
Mr Silaigwana said people using postal vote also do so in secret.

MDC-Alliance Mr Tendai Biti yesterday rushed to convene a press conference after gathering that some members of the police who will be on duty on the polling day were voting in Bulawayo.
Meanwhile ZRP commander for this year’s harmonised elections Senior Assistant Commissioner Erasmus Makodza allayed fears of vote rigging by police officers saying only those on duty on voting day qualified for postal voting.

“The Zimbabwe Republic Police wishes to set the record straight and allay fears of vote rigging by police officers as claimed in some social media messages which are circulating,” he said.
“The correct position is that some police officers will be performing security duties in other provinces which are not their normal work stations. Thus in terms of Section 72 of the Electoral Act, the concerned police officers will exercise their right to vote through a postal ballot system which is being administered by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission.”

He said provinces like Bulawayo had excess manpower.

The excess staff would be deployed in Matabeleland North province.

“In fact the total number of police officers who applied for the postal ballot does not go beyond 4 000,” said Snr Ass Comm Makodza.
“The rest of police officers will actually cast their ballots on 30th July 2018 as earlier revealed by the ZRP Command and ZEC in numerous meetings and workshop briefings. The whole process is conducted according to Section 75 of the Electoral Act, Chapter 2:13.”

Vice President Constantino Chiwenga has hit out at MDC-Alliance leader Mr Nelson Chamisa for tarnishing the reputation of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) by making unsubstantiated claims of impropriety against its members when he was an integral part of their selection into the electoral management body.

VP Chiwenga said laws are not promulgated on the streets and anyone with issues with any piece of legislation should use Parliament as it is the forum through which legislation is promulgated.
He said this while addressing a zanu-pf rally at Dingumuzi Stadium in Plumtree yesterday.
“Some are afraid of going to elections and now want to implement things they should have done while in Parliament. There is no law that is made on the streets; laws are made in Parliament,” VP Chiwenga said.

He said elections would not be stopped by demonstrations.

“If people have issues with any piece of legislation they do not like, they should ask the people to vote for them so that they can change the laws to suit their needs.
“Those who are attacking ZEC were part of the committee responsible for selection of ZEC members. They should know that when proclamation has been done there is no way elections can be stopped. They should wait for the next election,” the VP said.

He urged zanu-pf members to continue their peaceful campaigns ahead of the July 30 elections.
“You might have heard of the demonstrations in the streets (of Harare), but that will not work.
“The days of throwing mud against each other are long gone. As Zimbabweans we should not do that because this game of politics is for mature people and not kids. So let’s go and vote in a peaceful way and bring results that will build Zimbabwe; a Zimbabwe that will be appreciated by our descendants,” VP Chiwenga said.

Government, he said, was working on devolution which would see provinces benefitting from the wealth within them and also contributing to central Government.
He said in the new dispensation, provincial Ministers would no longer be responsible for politics and sloganeering but would be ministers for economic development.
“I think you heard the issue of devolution; it was a contentious issue during the constitution making process but ours is not about creating a separate state. Zimbabwe is a unitary state. It will remain united because from here in Plumtree to Mutare, from Victoria Falls to Chipinge, we are one people. We may differ on customs, cultures and languages,” the VP said.-state media

By Own Correspondent| The statement issued by the Commander ZRP 2018 Harmonised Elections Committee, Senior Assistant Commissioner Erasmus Makodza confirmed that members of the uniformed forces voted in Bulawayo yesterday (Thursday).

According to the statement, the country’s Constitution provides for members of the police to vote through postal voting.

However, in an earlier report in one of the local dailies, ZEC Commissioner who is the Acting Chief Elections Officer, Utoile Silaigwana dismissed as “hogwash and stupid propaganda” reports that voting took place in Bulawayo.

Said Commissioner Silaigwana:

“This is hogwash and very stupid propaganda because in the first place they have photos of a police officer standing near a ballot box yet with postal voting a voter doesn’t use a ballot box.

Postal voting is for individuals who apply for it and he or she is given a ballot paper in an envelope and returns it sealed. This is cheap propaganda without substance at all.

This is coming from a person who doesn’t even understand the process. The pictures they put have nothing to do with postal vote and these people just want cause despondency in the country.”

However, the ZRP statement did not deny that voting took place rather justifying that postal voting was provided for in the country’s supreme law, the Constitution.

Below is the full press statement issued by Senior Assistant Commissioner Makodza:

The Zimbabwe Republic Police wishes to set the record straight and allay fears of vote rigging by police officers as claimed in some social media messages which are circulating.

The correct position is that some police officers will be performing security duties in other provinces which are not their normal work stations.

Thus in terms of Section 72 of the Electoral Act, the concerned police officers will exercise their right to vote through the postal ballot system which is being administered by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission.

Some provinces like Bulawayo have excess manpower which is due for deployment in Matabeleland North province thus necessitating the postal vote for the affected members.

Infact the total number of police officers who applied for the postal ballot does not go beyond 4000. The rest of police officers will actually cast their ballots on 30th July 2018 as earlier revealed by the ZRP command and ZEC in numerous meetings and workshop briefings.

The whole process is conducted according to Section 75 of the Electoral Act, Chapter 2:13.

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission has reacted to the unregulated postal voting which was done by members of the police at Ross Camp in Bulawayo on Thursday.

ZEC Commissioner Qhubani Moyo said in a statement late Thursday that the Commission tasked with administering all the country’s election processes is not involved in the postal voting process.

Hundreds of police officers were caught on camera red handed while casting their postal votes in a hidden process at the police camp.

The officers claimed that they were being forced to vote for the ruling ZANU PF by their superiors who conducted the voting with no officials from ZEC or election agents from any of the contesting candidates.

When news of the voting taking place broke out, ZEC initially disputed the leak before evidence was provided that the voting was indeed interrupted by MDC Alliance officials following the tip off.

Senior police officers confirmed that the voting did indeed take place.

Commissioner Moyo wrote in his response saying:

After speaking to Senior Ass Commissioner Makodza, ZRP commander on 2018 elections about police postal votes, he says some police officers who applied for postal votes because they will be out of their stations on election day administered their postal ballots in secrecy in Bulawayo today.

The process will happen all over the country and in diplomatic missions but these ballots should be with at Zec HQ by 16 July 2018.

There is no requirement for Zec to be present when individuals vote, Zec meets their ballots when they courier them to the CEO who in turn sends them to respective polling stations where they are opened on election day and counted with the rest of ballots cast on that day!!7000 Zimbabweans qualified for postal votes for this election.

Police officers at Ross Camp police station in Bulawayo were on Thursday found already casting their votes ahead of scheduled election time.

The police officers who brought the matter to the public domain indicated that they were told to cast their votes under the postal votes.

The officers claimed that they were casting their votes under the supervision of their bosses and were being forced to vote for the ruling ZANU PF.

In an interview ZEC Bulawayo Provincial Elections Officer Innocent Ncube denied any knowledge of the postal vote taking place in the province.

“I am not aware of any postal votes taking place in Bulawayo,” said Ncube.

“The reason I am not aware of this is because I am not directly involved with the postal votes. I only get involved after the votes have been cast and brought to the wards concerned,” said Ncube.

MDC Alliance senate candidate Dorcas Sibanda confirmed that they were notified of the hidden postal voting and rushed to the scene where they found the voting taking place.

“There were no ZEC officials or election agents of any candidates represented at the voting,” said Sibanda.

ZEC Chief Elections Officer Utloile Silaigwana however confirmed that the postal voting was formally taking place at Ross Camp police station in Bulawayo.

Terrence Mawawa

SuperSport United has unveiled new signing Washington Arubi.

The goalkeeper joined the Pretoria-based side on a free transfer from NFD outfit Stellenbosch FC.

He was unveiled together with other two new players, Luke Fleurs and James Keene.

Arubi will play alongside fellow Zimbabweans Evans Rusike, Onismor Bhasera and Prince Dube while Kaitano Tembo will be part of the technical team.

Terrence Mawawa

Sources at Liebenberg High School in Chivhu have alleged that authorities are unhappy with the vandalism of property during a Zanu PF rally at the school.

Staff members who declined to be named claimed Zanu PF demanded to use the school premises for its rally and used property without seeking permission from the development committee.

“We are concerned about the vandalism of school property by Zanu PF supporters.We are afraid of approaching the relevant offices to express our grievances,” sources at the school said.

Terrence Mawawa

Scores of angry Zanu PF supporters in Chivhu have accused President Emmerson Mnangagwa of being dishonest following his failure to show up at a rally in the transit town.

Mnangagwa was expected to address party supporters at Liebenberg High School last Saturday.

The disgruntled supporters blamed Mnangagwa for failing to explain why he failed to address the rally.

“We are not happy because our leaders are simply taking us for granted.The organisers of the rally lied to us,” said a Zanu PF Youth League member.

“The President owes us an apology.We used our own resources to travel to and from Chivhu,” said another Zanu PF member.

Terrence Mawawa

The MDC Alliance Provincial leadership has projected that 40 000 supporters will attend the coalition’ s star rally scheduled for Sunday at Mucheke Stadium.

MDC Alliance Masvingo Provincial Chairperson James Gumbi said: “I encourage all MDC Alliance members to mobilize 40 000 people to attend this cross over rally.

Masvingo must send a clear and loud message that we support President Chamisa and the MDC Alliance.

Our massive rally will send shock waves to Emmerson Mnangagwa and his members.”

Masvingo Urban District chairman Muranganwa Chanyau also said:”We are working tirelessly to mobilise people to attend the rally.”

Terrence Mawawa

MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa will on Sunday step into the vortex of a raging storm in Masvingo Province following the imposition of candidates for both the National Assembly and local government.

Chamisa will address a star rally at Mucheke Stadium in the wake of simmering battles within the fragmented coalition.

The MDC Provincial leadership still cringing under the weight of its controversial imposition of unpopular candidates is desperate to use Chamisa’ s rally to restore public confidence.

There are clear indications that MDC Alliance candidates have all but failed to position themselves for victory in the July 30 polls and the rally will be used to shore up the coalition’ s waning support base in the province.

Despite the empty bravado from the alliance leaders in the province, party sources have revealed the coalition’ s frontrunners are quaking in their boots.

In a ruling that is set to purge politically- motivated violence and intimidation, two MDC supporters have been slapped with a combined 24-month jail term for assaulting a Zanu PF sympathiser for wearing ruling party regalia.

The two brothers — Robert and Itai Kabvunza who reside in Mutasa Central — an opposition stronghold, were convicted after a full trial by
magistrate Tendai Mahwe who, however, set aside four months on condition of good behaviour from
each of their sentences.

They will serve an effective eight months each.Although no medical report was tendered in court, the two were handed the penalty as a deterrent to would-be-offenders as the country pushes to deliver free, fair and credible elections on July 30.

It was the State’s case that the duo approached Jairos Nyamururu who was wearing a Zanu PF T-shirt on July 4 and began quizzing him over why he was wearing it.

They were allegedly bitter over his decision to support the ruling party.
Robert then grabbed Nyamururu by the collar and Itai immediately started assaulting him with clenched fists.

Nyamururu managed to escape and he then filed an assault report at Mutasa Central Police Station, leading to the arrest of the brothers.
Fletcher Karombe was prosecuting- DailyNews

Controversial dancer Beverly “Bev” Sibanda who is currently in neighbouring South Africa says her
long-time manager Hapaguti “Harpers”Mapimhidze is “courting hunger to his house” by dumping her and managing Lady Storm aka Eriza.

This comes after Mapimhidze revealed that he is now running the affairs of Lady Storm’s Swagga
Band after Bev engaged some South African runners who elbowed him (Mapimhidze) out.

Bev recently temporarily relocated to South Africa where she has lined up several showcases which she says will keep her busy for some time.

Her chances of returning to Harare seem to dwindle with each passing day.
The poll dancer views Eriza as one of the struggling performers with no influence in showbiz.

“I hope it’s just a rumour that Harpers now manages Lady Storm, otherwise haaa anonofa nenzara uko (he will die of hunger),” she told the Daily News from her South Africa base.

Mapimhidze and Bev have been together for the past nine years.
“I am helping Lady Storm because she has the potential. Only time will tell,” Mapimhidze hit back.
“I am the president of Dancers Association of Zimbabwe; hence I am free to help anyone in the
showbiz.”

Over the nine years that they have been together, Bev’s artistic career has blossomed and along the way she has won several artistic awards.

And because of Mapimhidze, Bev is now a popular
brand on the local showbiz circuit- Daily News.

By Farai D Hove| President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s personal religious advisor, Mudzidzi Wimbo has died.

Wimbo was once abducted for several months after assisting Mnangagwa with strategies to outsmart Robert Mugabe in 2015.

Wimbo comes from Saviour Kasukuwere’s Madziwa area. – THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY – refresh this page for the update

Reports just received indicate that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission chairperson Priscilla Chigumba has failed to turn up for a meeting she convened with the opposition MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa.

Chalton Hwende a top MDC Alliance leader revealed in a Twitter message on Thursday morning shortly after the time set for the meeting.

“After @ZECzim promised our President @nelsonchamisa that today we will meet Chigumba when we we arrived at their offices she was nowhere to be seen. We now need to unmask the real person using Chigumba to rig Elections and deal with that person,” wrote Hwende.

ZimEye.com is keeping watch on the matter and will provide more details as they become available.

Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) chairperson Justice Priscilla Chigumba is reported to have called MDC Alliance for a meeting tomorrow (Thursday 12 July) over their demands for electoral reforms.

MDC Alliance is demanding access to the full voters roll and openness on the procurement, design, printing and storage of ballot papers to be used for the 2018 general elections scheduled for 30 July.

During her routine Monday media brief, Justice Chigumba indicated that ZEC has failed to build consensus over the elections and was thinking of dumping it but the door for discussion would still be open.

Addressing party supporters on the sidelines of a demonstration and after handing their petition at ZEC offices, MDC Alliance principal Tendai Biti said Chigumba has invited them for a meeting.

“It’s unfortunate that when we went in there with our petition, Justice Chigumba was not there, but she has asked us to come back tomorrow for a meeting with her.

“So we are coming tomorrow but we have left the petition which has a list of our demands which we want to be addressed before we go for elections.

“And these demands we are ready to die for them and this time we will not allow this election to be stolen from us,” he said.

The 2018 general elections have been dubbed as the “this is it” for the opposition parties especially MDC which has been trying since 2000.

The opposition, on the contrary, is of the view that they have been winning the previous elections but they have been their victories through various means.

In 2008 MDC-T came close to winning the Presidential elections but their lead candidate the late Morgan Tsvangirai though he had more votes than his main rival Robert Mugabe, he failed to get the required 50 per cent plus one vote.

Speaking after the demonstration, MDC Alliance Presidential candidate Nelson Chamisa said if nothing positive comes out of the meeting with Chigumba, demonstrations will continue until ZEC concedes.

“This is the last demonstration were we go back home, I tell if nothing comes out of negotiations then we engage the next level, which is gear number two, now gear number two is undesirable because it’s a red gear.

“The next level of demonstrations are those where we don’t go back home but we go and occupy ZEC until our demands are met. This is not a Zanu primary election, it’s a national election and we must agree on its processes.

“Chigumba is saying our demands are not provided for in the law, but I am also a lawyer, if something is not provided for in the law it does not mean it’s prohibited so I don’t know what law she is talking about.

“We are not afraid to lose anything for this cause because we have already lost everything as a country,” he said.

MDC Alliance is on record saying if their demands are not met they will not participate and also they ensure the election will take place.

It remains to be seen if ZEC will concede as one of its commissioner Qhubani Moyo announced that they have finished printing ballot papers.

Openparly

Thokozani Khupe’s deputy, Obert Gutu has described MDC Alliance leader and presidential candidate Nelson Chamisa as a cheap junior lawyer with no respect for the country’s judiciary, as the temperatures heat up ahead of the July 30 elections.

Gutu said Chamisa will be thrashed in the July 30 elections, and that they (the MDC-T) will teach Chamisa some lesson in basic law if he rescucitates the court challenge which he shelved a few days ago to concentrate on the elections.

“A cheap,junior lawyer who has got no respect for our judiciary is welcome to resuscitate the MDC name and logo legal battle after he is thrashed in the July 30 elections. We’ll teach him a lesson in basic law,” wrote Gutu on his Twitter page.

Chamisa’s lawyer asked the High Court to downgrade the matter from urgent basis as it is election season and they are seized with election campaigns.

Chamisa apprpached the courts seeking to bar Thokozani Khupe’s camp from using the MDC-T name and logo following the death of founding leader Morgan Tsvangirai.

By AP – HARARE: The world’s oldest person is 141 years of age and lives in Zimbabwe. Not far behind is a 134-year-old, also in Zimbabwe.

At least that’s according to the country’s voters’ roll, which has come under sharp scrutiny ahead of the July 30 election, the first in decades without longtime leader Robert Mugabe.

The main opposition party has called the voters’ roll deeply flawed and the most prominent sign that the election’s credibility is at risk. On Wednesday, thousands of people were rallying in the capital, Harare, to call for more transparency.

While President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who took power when Mugabe was pressured to step down in November, and the election commission have pledged a free and fair election, the issues with the voters’ roll have many worried that Zimbabwe’s government is failing to break with a long past of alleged election fraud.

The strikingly old voters are just one concern. The voters’ roll also shows more than 100 people registered at a single address and has multiple people sharing a single ID number, according to the main opposition’s chief election agent, Jameson Timba.

“In our view, the voters’ roll is not fit for purpose,” said main opposition leader Nelson Chamisa, who is in a coalition with several smaller parties that also took part in Wednesday’s demonstration.

The opposition’s suspicions extend to the ballots’ printing, storage, design and even paper quality.

Confidence in the election has run so low that the opposition now encourages its supporters to carry their own pens into the voting booths because they don’t trust the ones provided.

Mnangagwa, a longtime ally of Mugabe until he was fired as a result of a ruling party feud, is under pressure to deliver a free and fair election as a key step in lifting years of international sanctions.

Zimbabwe’s past elections have been marked by accusations of violence and fraud. Mugabe banned Western election observers but Mnangagwa has welcomed them for the first time in almost two decades.

Observers from the European Union and United States have raised concerns that are similar to the opposition’s although, in a break from the past, this year’s election has been largely free of violence.

Mnangagwa, his ruling ZANU-PF party and the election commission are defending the credibility of the vote. The electoral commission chairwoman, Priscilla Chigumba, has rebuffed the opposition’s demands, which include touching the ballot paper or examining it closely. Party representatives were allowed to view the ballot printing process from a distance last month, she said.

People had to watch from about 10 meters away, said another opposition candidate, Noah Manyika.

Political parties physically inspecting the ballot paper is unlawful, Chigumba, a former High Court judge, told reporters on Monday, calling the opposition demands “an abuse of the right to transparency.”

The election commission chairwoman also has denied problems with the voters’ roll, which was released to opposition parties and the public only after pressure and a court ruling.

The commission has said any mistakes in the roll are being corrected. The case of the single address with more than 100 registered voters “is in fact a church shrine with 122 voters,” Chigumba said.

Winning confidence in the remaining weeks before the vote will be a challenge. According to a survey released over the weekend by the Zimbabwe Council of Churches, 58 percent of registered voters do not trust the elections commission. The churches surveyed more than 1,600 people from Bulawayo, an opposition stronghold, and Midlands province, which has a mix of opposition and ruling party supporters.

While Mugabe is gone, “the regime remains,” said Munyaradzi Gwisai, a political analyst and law lecturer at the University of Zimbabwe. He concluded: “If anything, the hard men and hard women of that regime are the ones who have taken power and they are now in charge, so very little has changed.”

By Dorrothy Moyo| Reports reaching ZimEye reveal that a fire has hit at Harare’s Rainbow Towers hotel Wednesday evening.

Hotel guests had to be evacuated and pictures show many standing outside.

At the time of writing it was said that the fire started off at the buildings area where SADC election Observers are camped. This claim could however not be corroborated or confirmed at the time of writing.

SEE VIDEO BELOW –

THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY – refresh this page

Outside Rainbow Towers Hotel …. fire…. all guests evacuated Fire said to have started (to be confirmed ) where SADC election observer mission was based. Hotel said was an electrical fault pic.twitter.com/v7FZmd4lQO

— harumutasa/aljazeera (@harumutasa) July 11, 2018

By Own Correspondent| The MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa has challenged the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to avail the voter’s roll and accommodate the opposition parties to witness the printing process of the ballot papers to dispel mounting fears that ZEC is working in connivance with Zanu Pf to rig the forthcoming elections.

Addressing thousands of party supporters in Harare, Chamisa said Zimbabweans are not asking for too much from ZEC besides transparency in the conduct of elections.

Said Chamisa:

“Our people are not asking for gold or treasure, simply to see the ballot paper before we go into an election.

These are not unreasonable demands.

The people of Zimbabwe have been taken advantage of by Zanu PF for a very long time, it ends with this election.”

Chamisa said failure by the ZEC to implement the demands on their petition which they delivered to ZEC today (Wednesday) would see opposition supporters camp at ZEC offices until their demands are met.

“We will give ZEC one week to implement our demands. Failure to do that, we will stay put at ZEC. Wash the blankets, get ready,” Chamisa told party supporters.

By Paul Nyathi|Opposition MDC Alliance President Nelson Chamisa says that his party will announce the election results on its own as they can not trust the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, ZEC.

Addressing thousands of MDC Alliance supporters at the end of a mass demonstration against ZEC on Wednesday, Chamisa said that his party does not have confidence with the electoral body which he accuses of being biased towards the ruling ZANU PF.

“We will announce the results ourselves as we do not trust ZEC who may announce the wrong results,” said Chamisa.

The youthful opposition leader warned incumbent President Emmerson Mnangagwa and the ZEC chairperson Priscilla Chigumba not to temper with the results of the elections as it may lead to chaos in the country.

“Voting is national security,” warned Chamisa.

“Mnangagwa and Chigumba must not temper with the election result at all,” he said.

The opposition party delivered a petition to the electoral commission demanding that it reverses the ballot paper printing and involve the opposition parties in the designing and printing process of the ballot papers.

Thousands of the party supporters took part in the demonstration which marched to the ZEC office in the capital city. Scores others MDC Alliance supporters insisted on remaining camped outside the ZEC offices until the commission responds favourable to the demands made by the party.

Terrence Mawawa

Aspiring independent MP for Masvingo Urban Sam Chapfudza has launched a door to door campaign programme as part of frantic efforts to explain his vision to residents of the ancient city.

Chapfudza is the only independent candidate who has managed to embark on a door to door campaign programme in Masvingo Urban Constituency.

There are three main contenders in the Masvingo Urban Parliamentary election- Chapfudza, Benjamin Taguma Mazarire of Zanu PF and Jacob Nyokanhete of MDC Alliance.

Speaking to Zimeye.com in an interview yesterday, Chapfudza said he was ready to romp to victory in the July 30 polls.

“We have just launched a door to door programme and the thrust of the exercise is to interact and interface with the electorate,” said Chapfudza.

“As a vendor, I am a man of the people. I understand the problems we face in the constituency.

As such I am appealing to local residents to support my vision.As an independent candidate I represent development,” Chapfudza added.

Terrence Mawawa

A senior Zanu PF Women’ s League official’ s attempt to seize a farm in Chirumanzu District has been foiled by a Mvuma Magistrate.

Senior Zanu PF Women’s League official Violet Nhari wanted to take over Golden Spiderweb Lodge situated at Rockdale Farm but her shenanigans hit a brick wall following Mvuma Resident Magistrate Tayengwa Chibanda’ s ruling on an appeal from the owner of the farm , Denis Muzunze.

Nhari also attempted to use her political stamina to push Muzunze out of the property.

Nhari also allegedly threatened officials at the Lands Ministry offices in Mvuma.

Chibanda ruled that Nhari’ s arguments were baseless and her bid to grab the property was illegal.