ZEC presiding Officer Beats President Chamisa’s Chief Election Agent in Gutu South

…. As ZEC appointed teachers for ED as election presiding officers

By Wezhira Munya

Zimbabwe Electoral Commission [ZEC] presiding officer Mr Alfred Mawere assaulted Citizens Coalition for Change [CCC] chief election agent Mr Samuel Tsvangirai.

Mr Tsvangirai is President Chamisa’s chief election agent in Gutu South.

He [Tsvangirai] was beaten yesterday [18th August 2023] by Zanu PF aligned Mr Mawere.

Mr Tsvangirai narrated how ZEC presiding officer Mr Mawere assaulted him, he said, “During a short break of ZEC training at Maungwa business centre, Mr Alfred Mawere charged towards me, he manhandled and slapped me with open hands saying why are you taking ZEC Issues personally.”

Mr Tsvangirai was injured and is emotionally distressed after he was beaten by Mr Mawere.

Mawere was restrained from beating President Chamisa’s chief election agent Mr Tsvangirai by people who were at the training workshop.

The case of assault has been reported to ZEC office but, police have refused to take the case.

Mr Tsvangirai said, “l have filed my complaint of assault aganist Mawere to ZEC officials at Maungwa and they refered me to ZEC DEO Mr Augustine Musasa.”

After reporting the assault case to ZEC officials at Maungwa, Mr Tsvangirai went to a nearby police station to report the case of assault, unfortunately there were no police officers at Maungwa police station.

He then went to Gutu police station, where Law and Order police officers refused to take his report citing that the case is highly political.

Furthermore, he then tried to engage other senior police officer but he [Tsvangirai] was informed that they are busy deploying junior officers to police stations.

Interestingly, Mr Mawere is a bona fibre member of Teachers4ED an organization that is actively campaigning for Zanu-PF.

Also, his [Mawere] wife Violet Mawere is a headmistress at Guni primary school and will also be a presiding officer at that same school and she is an active member of ZANU PF.

Mr Mawere and Mrs Mawere cannot be presiding officers because of their association of Zanu-PF a party that is also contesting harmonized elections.

This couple can rig elections on behalf of their party Zanu-PF.

Also, the electorate can be intimidated by seeing active Zanu-PF members presiding over elections.