DISGRUNTLED Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) members in Beitbridge, Matabeleland South, have accused their local leaders of systematic rigging during the candidate selection process last week.
Last Wednesday, CCC began selecting its candidates to participate in the upcoming general elections. The opposition party is choosing candidates via what it calls a citizen-centred nomination process involving various stakeholders.
In a letter addressed to the CCC national elections directorate, secretary for elections Ian Makone and party leader Nelson Chamisa on Friday, the disgruntled members said the nomination process was flawed.
They pointed fingers at deputy national organising secretary and former Beitbridge mayor, Morgan Ncube and another senior member Sithabisiwe Mulowa as the chief culprits.
“The Beitbridge candidates’ nomination process was flawed from beginning to the end,” they alleged.
“Ncube, Mulowa, who themselves were interested parties (candidates), were responsible for running the entire process from beginning to end. They selectively shared information on the process and manipulated venues where nominations took place. All this was done to influence the outcome of the nominations. In short, Ncube was a player, referee and linesman, at the same time.”
The letter was signed by Beitbridge West constituency aspiring candidate Moffat Ndou, Beitbridge Urban ward aspirant Handsome Mbedzi, former councillor Denmore Dzokurasa and CCC Beitbridge chairperson Elliot Mabeza, among others.
They accused Ncube of handpicking presiding officers without consulting the wards.
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“All presiding officers had no clue of the nominations process. They were being assisted by Ncube and Mulowa,” the letter read.
“Some of the presiding officers who were introduced as pastors did not meet the criteria of being part (to the process) eg dress code and the way they presented themselves to people.”
The disgruntled CCC members further alleged that in some cases nominations were delayed to frustrate aspiring candidates and other participants while in other cases venues were changed at the last minute.
“In the case of ward 1 urban, the venue was changed to Mulowa’s house without informing some champions. In ward 9 rural, there were intentionally two venues with one created for a parallel structure created by Ncube and the sitting councillor Roden Mbedzi at his homestead; unfortunately for them, the champion knew it before the meeting. Some went and camped at the house and protested,” they added.
Ncube is also accused of deliberately not providing the voters rolls in order to manipulate the nomination process.
In Beitbridge, nominations were abandoned in some wards due to violence over alleged vote rigging.
The CCC said it would disqualify candidates implicated in electoral malpractices.
