Political Reporter
In an unfolding saga of alleged breach of trust, a group of election agents affiliated with the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) are reportedly mulling over staging a demonstration.
The agents’ grievance is directed towards the party's organizing secretary, Amos Chibaya, citing non-payment of their promised payment after the conclusion of the recent electoral process.
According to a source, the agents had been given assurances of a stipend amounting to US$200 each for their roles in facilitating and overseeing the election procedures. Yet, weeks have lapsed, and their hopes for compensation have turned into simmering frustrations as not a single agent has confirmed receiving the promised sum.
One disgruntled agent, speaking on condition of anonymity, lamented over the difficulties in establishing communication with Chibaya.
"Every attempt to reach out to him seems futile. It's as though he's deliberately evading our concerns by switching off his phone. We were on the frontlines of the election process, ensuring everything ran smoothly on behalf of the CCC. Yet, now we are left feeling abandoned," the agent expressed.
Moreover, the source said that the sentiments of abandonment are not solely due to the non-payment issue.
The source said that during their deployment, many agents lacked basic provisions, notably food.
"We were deployed without food, but we soldiered on, driven by commitment and the expectation of the promised remuneration. But with elections now in the rearview and no CCC leader stepping forward to address the payment issues, we feel cornered. We now see demonstration as the last resort to have our grievances addressed,” saidthe source.
Further complicating the narrative is the refutation by the same source of allegations by CCC leader Nelson Chamisa, that the elections were manipulated in favour of ZANU PF.
The agent firmly states, "These claims don't align with the facts on the ground. The V11 forms we meticulously went through indicated a clear lead for President Mnangagwa over Chamisa."
"I can't fathom why there's a propagation of a rigging narrative. Our own documentation showed Chamisa was significantly behind President Mnangagwa,” stated the source.
Meanwhile, it’s worth noting that issues of non-payment appear to have historical precedence.
Similar rumblings emerged in 2018, when CCC operated under the moniker of the MDC Alliance.. Unsubstantiated rumours swirled, suggesting funds earmarked for agents were misdirected or misused, with some fingers pointing towards Chamisa.
