Following a bitter upheaval within the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, a political uprising has emerged between prominent personalities around Emmerson Mnangagwa and Justice Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi over the contentious FINAL delimitation report (Zec).
The furore over the report handed over to Mnangagwa on Friday follows a revolt within Zec.
New divisions exploded, with clashes between Mnangagwa’s spokesman George Charamba saying the last report is FINAL, while government mouthpiece Nick Mangwana and state media said it’s not.
After Zec chair Priscilla Chigumba submitted the draft report to Mnangagwa on 26 December, seven commissioners, who included Jasper Mangwana, Abigail Millicent Mohadi-Ambrose, Catherine Mpofu, Jane Mbetu Nzvenga, Kudzai Shava, Rosewita Murutare and Shepherd Manhivi, rejected it.
The commissioners wrote to Mnangagwa and Parliament saying it was now impossible for them to create a voters roll which reflects the new boundaries of wards and constituencies considering the short time left before general elections which are likely between 17-25 August.The furore over the report handed over to Mnangagwa on Friday follows a revolt within Zec.
New divisions exploded, with clashes between Mnangagwa’s spokesman George Charamba saying the last report is FINAL, while government mouthpiece Nick Mangwana and state media said it’s not.After Zec chair Priscilla Chigumba submitted the draft report to Mnangagwa on 26 December, seven commissioners, who included Jasper Mangwana, Abigail Millicent Mohadi-Ambrose, Catherine Mpofu, Jane Mbetu Nzvenga, Kudzai Shava, Rosewita Murutare and Shepherd Manhivi, rejected it. “dispel potential gerrymandering allegations; and further concerned that the current draft delimitation proposal is not people-centred and not in an understandable format. Further, the commissioners also said the preliminary draft report lacked transparency, insinuating it was produced only by Chigumba and her deputy Rodney Simukai Kiwa, and not Zec, something they argued was unconstitutional and unacceptable. They asked Mnangagwa to intervene. Wrote the commissioners:
“This is impossible with the remaining time; concerned that the current draft delimitation proposal does not meet the minimum standards expected regarding transparent procedures that strengthen stakeholders’ confidence and…Meanwhile, a Zanu PF member Tonderai Chidawu, supported by two disgruntled commissioners Mpofu and Manhivi, took parliament to court, saying it had failed to fulfill a critical constitutional obligation over the report.
Chidawu was represented by Professor Lovemore Madhuku.“We hereby resolve to put aside the current draft delimitation proposal except as a reference point for a proper delimitation process to be conducted and wholly guided by commissioners after the 2023 harmonised elections.”
In the storm, Mnangagwa, amid speculation he did not want it, sent the draft to parliament on 6 January 2023 for debate.
Parliament’s ad hoc committee produced a stinging yet measured report, unearthing a series of flaws, suggesting they must be corrected to rescue the report. This came amid reports that Chidawu was behind the scenes supported by Justice minister Ziyambi Ziyambi and permanent secretary Virginia Mabhiza who did not want the report, hence wanted to subvert it for their own political reasons. They name-dropped that Mnangagwa abacked them.
“I believe Parliament has failed to fulfill a constitutional obligation. This failure has arisen in respect of processes that have unfolded following the tabling in parliament by the President of a preliminary delimitation report in terms of section 161(7) of the constitution. “The preliminary delimitation report tabled before Parliament was not signed by any of the commissioners, a fact so glaring that Parliament ought to have sprung into action when I raised the issue, given that previous such reports were signed by all commissioners,” Chidawu said.
Unfazed by the fight, Chigumba mobilised political support from Mnangagwa and Constantino Chiwenga and MPs as well as the Zec secretariat to push through the draft report from Parliament to Mnangagwa, back to Zec and to the President (the FINAl report on Friday). Initially it was said Chidawu was acting with Mnangagwa’s subtle blessing, while Ziyambi and Mabhiza threw their weight behind him. As time went by, it became clear Mnangagwa was not backing Chidawu, but then Ziyambi and Mabhiza never disentangled themselves from the controversy. Reports persisted commissioners who rebelled against Chigumba and Kiwa were working in cahoots with Chidawu, Ziyambi, Mabhiza and even Mnangagwa to subvert the Zec constitutional exercise. This speculation was conveniently maintained for political expediency to instill fear.
“Time for reflection: With the Delimitation dust now settled, a sober reflection is not inappropriate. One cannot dirty waters that are already under and past the bridges. Rivers never fly upstream, except by divine motive force. So we cannot muddy the bygone,” Charamba said.While constitutionally it is clear that the report handed over to Mnangagwa on Friday is final and must be gazetted within 14 days, Mangwana says it’s not final, while state-controlled Herald says it’s a revised draft.
Charamba said it’s final. This exposed continued divisions.
Writing in his Herald column, Jamwanda2 on Saturday, under a pseudonym, Charamba said after the final report was submitted to Mnangagwa, it time for reflection and the row over the delimitation process could have led to a legal and political conflict. “That is to say it was a very good attempt, as good as any, considering it was the first ever one such, executed under the new 2013 Constitution. Considering it came hard on the heels of the Preliminary Census Report.” First, going by the agitation — almost even in intensity and in pitch — from both the ruling Party and opposition parties, the Preliminary Delimitation report, it would appear, had imperfections that barely passed for the fatal.”Not even big fishes of the ocean can do so on its vast waters, their little farts barely passing enough for a minuscule bubble in the vast deep. Very good account given the odd.”Yes, considering it kneaded together the old and the new, by way of Commissioners who comprised ZEC itself.”The exercise itself was carried out in an environment of polarised, insistent politics. All this is to say, Zimbabwe, post the 2007 last Delimitation Report, is another country, another people, another social temperament!
When negativity confirms impartiality.
“Above all, considering that it sought to impose method and shape to tumultuous demographic, spatial changes and movements which occurred since the last Delimitation Report, done a mere seven years into our historic Land Reform Programme which vastly redrew human settlements.” Whilst it might sound negative, nay cynical, still the point must be made: the fact that all contestants had something to raise in respect of the Preliminary Report, actually vindicated the effort, and confirmed its even-handedness.
“Well done ZEC, singly and as a body-corporate, whatever incited and instigated fissures which expressed themselves towards the end of the process.”But Charamba today somersault, claiming the report is not final, exposing infighting and confusion.
“What the chairlady of ZEC (Chigumba) gave the President (on Friday) was the preliminary report, as amended by the reactions from both Parliament and from the President,” he said.
