ZEC did an armchair analysis on the Delimitation Preliminary Report, says Nduna

ZEC did an armchair analysis on the Delimitation Preliminary Report, says Nduna

Chegutu West legislator Dexter Nduna has accused the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission of doing an armchair analysis during the delimitation exercise.

He said the report ignored key tenets and values of Section 161 of the constitution.

Honourable Nduna complained that ZEC removed a ward where the majority of his votes come from and put it somewhere.

He told the National Assembly that his constituency meets the threshold, it should remain untouched.

Below is what Honourable Nduna during debate in the National Assembly.

HON. NDUNA:  Thank you Mr. Speaker Sir.  I just want to add a few recommendations to the Delimitation Ad Hoc Committee Report.  Mr. Speaker Sir, I know for a very fact that having been part of the Ad Hoc Committee, this looks in some areas like an armchair oriented report produced by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission.

Mr. Speaker Sir, when you are on a desktop and you are on an armchair, you are different from somebody who is putting boots on the ground and you are looking at the topography.  You are also looking at the terrain Mr. Speaker Sir.  You are different from somebody that is practical on the ground. Mr. Speaker Sir, the reason I say the report distanced itself from the population is because it ignored the key tenets and values of section 161.

Mr. Speaker Sir, I touch on the issue of armchair analyst oriented operation that was undertaken because where in particular ZEC was supposed to stick to the issue of community of interest and how people are stationed and how they relate one to another, that was completely thrown out Mr. Speaker Sir. I say this because ZEC in its Act, in particular section 37 (a) of the Electoral Act, are supposed to interact with the community and that was not done.  The Act which is sui generis, the supreme law of the land in Section 161 also speaks to that issue that was completely ignored.

Mr. Speaker Sir, I say this because where ZEC on its own volition says the threshold which is supposed to be met at ward level, if that ward meets that threshold, there is no need to touch it, there is no need to disturb it.  ZEC went further and disturbed a ward in my constituency, which is Ward 25.  Their threshold was 61.8 when there is a 20% variation.  They ignored all that.  They ignored their own rules of engagement and went ahead and removed a whole ward in a constituency which is called Chegutu West Constituency which ward is Ward 25 and threw it to Chegutu East Constituency jumping over John Bhinya, Masterpiece and Bexley.  These are water bodies of note, big water bodies, more than seven.  That is Pool Dam, Clifton Dam and they have changed the centre of the wards to be in Chegutu East Constituency.  Where, if not in the office using some armchair oriented technical aptitude, can you have such a scenario?

Mr. Speaker Sir, I say where they are supposed to have a threshold meeting, a certain threshold in a ward, that should not be touched because it is a violation of their own law and it is not right.  Section 2 of the Constitution says any Act of Parliament that is ultra vires the Constitution should not be repudiated to the extent of its inconsistency with itself.  Mr. Speaker Sir, nothing, including an Act of Parliament speaks to what ridiculous modus operandi that was instituted in Ward 25 of Chegutu West Constituency.  The Urban Councils Act does not allow the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to be the adjudicators of towns, rural district councils and otherwise.  The adjudicator and who he appoints towns and municipality areas is the President in consultation with the Minister of Local Government. 

When ZEC went into Chegutu West Constituency, they removed a whole ward and put it somewhere else.  Where there were 15 wards, there are now 14 wards.  I say this with a heavy heart because this is where the majority of my voters come from.  However, now that there are 14 wards, there is need for ZEC to bring the minutes that came from the Minister of Local Government in consultation with the President, in terms of removing a whole ward and leaving 14 wards where there were 15 wards before.

In Chegutu West Constituency, there are 15 wards, three wards in the rural and 12 in the urban.  How they chose to actually remove one ward in the rural set up – remove it completely and leave those in the urban set up.  It gobbles the mind and should not be entertained.  Chegutu West Constituency as at 31st May, 2022 had 31 445 voters above the threshold of 27 000 that they sought to address.  It should have been left like that.  The ward that I speak to and about had more than 1 800 people above threshold.  So, if my Constituency was above 23 000 voters; if it was above 1 800 voters, the ward should be left as is. 

Mr. Speaker, I am winding up.  Musati kuna Speaker n’inin’ini, ndichiri kutaura, uyu ataura for almost 30 minutes.  What I want to say is because it has taken five years to galvanise the support of the electorate, this is the reason why they should be consulted, whether they still want to fall under me or another constituency.  Six months or three months is not good enough time to preach to the electorate and to change their mindset and confide in them for them to come in and vote.  Politics is not church and you cannot change a mindset through promises.  They would want to remain dead with the people who have given them… I am just winding up.  As I wind up, I request that because I meet the threshold in the wards, those wards should remain unadulterated, untouched and ZEC should conform with those recommendations, otherwise going forward, they should stick to Section 161 of the Constitution.-

ZEC did an armchair analysis on the Delimitation Preliminary Report, says Nduna