ZIMBABWEANS based in South Africa are planning to hold protests in the neighbouring country today and on Friday to register their anger over last week’s disputed elections.
The Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) has refused to accept electoral defeat citing a number of irregularities and intimidation of its supporters.
NewsDay has established that Zimbabweans in South Africa have formed WhatApp mobilisation groups to rally other citizens to participate in the protests to be held outside Zimbabwe’s embassy in Pretoria.
“We are saying whether he (President Emmerson Mnangagwa) was voted for or not it does not concern us, we no longer want him and his Zanu PF, period,” a message on one WhatsApp group named Angry Zimbabweans read.
“It is about our country. We should be working in our country, but because of them we are in foreign land because of their failed governance. Their system is making us suffer.”
A Zimbabwean businessman based in that country, Chanda Chose said he supported the protests.
“A lot of people are not happy with the way the elections were conducted,” Chose said.
“The government of Zimbabwe has to take responsibility and accept its wrongs.”
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CCC SA spokesperson, Ernest Arnold Chinyuke urged party supporters to participate in the planned protests.
“On August 23, I was in Zimbabwe. On the day, I had to travel around four cities to have a clear picture of what was going on. Where I cast my vote, it took more than six hours because ballot papers arrived around 1pm,” he said.
“As we are speaking now, as the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) observer mission said, the election was flawed, people were doing command voting.”
An SA-based development advocate, Nkosilathi Ncube said: “The people outside Zimbabwe, on the African continent are the most affected by these election results. We support the protests.”
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is among Sadc leaders who congratulated Mnangagwa after he was announced the winner of the presidential election.
According to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission, Mnangagwa secured 52,6% of the vote against his main challenger, CCC leader Nelson Chamisa’s 44%.
Zanu PF secured 136 parliamentary seats against CCC’s 73.
Presenting an adverse preliminary statement on the August 23 and 24 harmonised elections, head of the Sadc observer mission, Nevers Mumba, said the polls fell short of meeting regional standards.
The former Zambian vice-president ripped into the Judiciary, Zimbabwe Electoral Commission and laws passed ahead of the polls.
Mnangagwa and his ruling Zanu PF party have, however, condemned Mumba’s report.
