Staff Reporter
Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) is ruining the day it agreed to Nelson Chamisa initiated Nomination Candidate Selection Process over an elective congress.
The chaos resulted in CCC postponing a press conference over the contested outcome of the disorderly candidate selection criteria. Independent electoral bodies confirmed reports of skirmishes casting a wave of doubt on the legitimacy of the process.
Elections Resource Centre (ERC) noted incidents of intimidation, violence, thieving of nominal forms and intrusion of nominal booths by candidates. ERC posted on its Twitter handle that, “ERC has received reports of politically motivated violence at the on-going CCC candidate selection process in Glen Norah where former Harare Mayor, Herbert Gomba and associates are accused of assaulting CCC youth, Womberai Nhende.”
A source revealed to the Harare Post that complains of rigging had resulted in the postponement of a press conference by that party. The source added that Glen View aspiring candidate, Fani Munengami caught wind of the news that Chamisa’s lieutenant, Happy Chidziva was bribing people to nominate him.
The source furnished that, “At Glenview 3 Community Centre, Munengami received a pummelling from Bvondo’s thugs after he forced his way into the nomination booth. Munengami had been tipped that people were being bribed to nominate Bvondo, thus he stormed into booth. Bvondo’s thugs in return beat him up before dragging him out of the premise.”
The source added that Chamisa had anointed Chidziva over Munengami, thereby igniting the skirmishes. “News that filtered through the station was that the president (Chamisa) had anointed Bvondo. A Munengami sympathiser confided in his peers that there was an attempt to sway him towards Bvondo, indicating that he had resisted the move; but was not sure how many attempts had been made on other voters.”
In related incidents at Warren Park, crèche nomination was stopped after the presiding officers were whisked away to Harare Central Business District by incumbent legislator, Shakespeare Hamauswa. This followed voters’ complains that they could not find their names before turning violent and declaring that ‘hapavhotwi pano’ (no voting will take place here.
