by Nobleman Runyanga
Since the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) released copies of the new biometric voter registration (BVR) voters roll on Monday this week, the MDC Alliance has been frantically trying to wring non-existent political capital out of the issue using outright lies and sympathy-seeking antics.
This has, however, not gone down well with many Zimbabweans who have refused to be hoodwinked by the opposition grouping.
The past two days have seen a flurry of social media activity as the alliance sought to accuse ZEC of favouring the British Embassy in Zimbabwe in selling copies of the roll to stakeholders. MDC Alliance leader, Nelson Chamisa and the MDC-T deputy treasurer general, Chalton Hwende were foremost in this regard.
“Yesterday the British Embassy in Zimbabwe (personnel) were the first ones to be given a (copy of the) Voters Roll. I was denied the same despite the fact that I am a candidate representing my (in) Party Kuwadzana East. Why should the British be at the center of every Zim Election?” tweeted Hwende yesterday.
Hwende even tried to abuse Kuwadzana East constituents by threatening to bring them to the ZEC offices to picket in order to press the Commission to give him the roll without going through the process which other stakeholders such as the Election Resources Centre (ERC) had gone through to obtain it.
“Today (yesterday) ZEC refused to give me a (copy of the) voters roll. Tomorrow I am coming (to the ZEC offices) with the people of Kuwadzana East maybe they will understand them better. 2018 No Rigging,” Hwende tweeted again.
Chamisa also sought to give the impression that ZEC was deliberately throwing hurdles in its path.
“ZEC continues to refuse to release the voters roll. Worse still, the chairperson has now shifted goal posts and says they are printing hard copies. We require an electronic copy. We have made this very clear. What are they trying to hide?” he tweeted.
Hours within the same day he tweeted again.
“We still don’t have the voters roll. Our people have been told to wait 48 hours. We are struggling to understand why ZEC is frustrating our attempts to access this important document,’ he said.
Before the 48 hours were up, the social media was abuzz with the opposition complaining that the voters roll did not have images of the registrants indicating that they had received their copy, contrary to its earlier claims.
Most Zimbabweans, however, saw through the MDC Alliance’s tricks.
“The MDC initially invited the British and used them as their arsenal. That’s why they have been at the centre of every election. It’s just that for this particular election they (British) have crossed town to the other side,” responded Frederick Kudzai Nyamande.
Other netizens pointed out the alliance’s lies.
“The British were not the first ones to be given the voters roll, they the first ones to tweet about it,” corrected Bongani Chipare.
“What you are not sharing is the reason why you were denied, or the reason why you think you where denied. Is there a box which you did not tick in the application or something, a requirement of which you fell short? Siyanayi nemaBritish nekutsvaka pamuromo navo,” responded Webster Madanhi.
“This time (President) ED (Mnangagwa) is playing a different ball game. You will have very few in your corner. (Former President Robert Mugabe) RGM was your weapon, manje he is now on pension. Masamba asiyana.
