Zimbabwe 2023 Elections: Mahere Raises Rigging Concerns At A Harare Polling Station
Fadzayi Mahere, the national spokesperson of the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), has raised concerns about a possible rigging attempt at Hiller Road Polling Station in Harare. In a series of messages, Mahere provided updates on the situation:
In her initial post, Mahere reported that the polling agents have completed the vote count at the Hiller Rd polling stations. However, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) was refusing to release the V11 forms, stating that they are awaiting instructions from higher authorities. These polling stations include the ones at the barracks, Tomlinson Depot, and Morris Depot.
Mahere then reported that polling officers at Tent CA Hiller Rd claimed that they couldn’t release the V11 forms because the presiding officer was unavailable as they were taking a bath. Mahere’s polling agents decided to wait until the forms were released and refused to leave.
She later reported that at Tent AA Hiller Rd, ZEC was not filling in the V11 forms due to discrepancies in the number of postal votes compared to the initial count. ZEC stated that they needed further instructions before proceeding. Mahere’s agent remained present.
Mahere raised concerns that ZEC had displayed a V11 form at Tent CA but was refusing to provide a copy. Mahere emphasized that it was their right to have access to the form to ensure transparency. Mahere reported:
International observers have started arriving at the Hiller Rd tents. Eight v11s remain outstanding. ZEC has extra postal ballots & are awaiting instructions on how to allocate them. However, v11s have been signed. Any further corrections are illegal. #StopTheRig
Voting commenced on the 23rd of August 2023 across the majority of the country, with notable delays occurring in Bulawayo and Harare, known as strongholds of the opposition. The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) cited the absence of local government voting slips and the inadvertent swapping of logos between the ruling ZANU PF and CCC on certain ballot papers, leading to the suspension of the voting process. In response, President Emmerson Mnangagwa extended the duration of voting by an additional day to make up for the time lost.
