Parties trade vote-buying accusations

traded accusations of vote-buying with the sums on offer running into hundreds of thousands of United States dollars.
MDC-T took the first potshot, claiming Zanu-PF MPs (whose names are being withheld for legal reasons) had approached their legislators with offers of US$5 000 for them to cast their secret ballot in favour of Cde Simon Khaya Moyo.
Zanu-PF immediately countered with the allegation that they had evidence that at least seven of their own MPs had been offered up to US$50 000 each for them to sway their votes in favour of MDC-T’s Mr Lovemore Moyo – who subsequently won the race.
MDC-T House of Assembly Chief Whip Mr Innocent Gonese said their MPs surrendered US$25 000 given to them by their Zanu-PF counterparts and they were investigating 10 more legislators they believed had been bribed.
Zanu-PF spokesperson Cde Rugare Gumbo countered this saying they were looking at the claim with the possibility of taking legal action on grounds of criminal defamation.
He said his party had no money to waste on bribes.
“It’s utter nonsense and I want to dismiss that story with the contempt it deserves.
“The election of a Speaker is a battle of ideas between those who are principled, who support a revolutionary party led by credible leaders, and those who pander to the whims of neo-colonisers.
“I don’t know about this issue of vote-buying and as Zanu-PF, we use our conscience when voting in such crucial polls,” he said.
A Zanu-PF Politburo member said they had information to the effect that MDC-T had received a kitty of at least US$350 000 to bribe legislators from other parties to vote for Mr Lovemore Moyo.
“They engaged donors who were forthcoming and they released US$350 000 to convince MDC legislators to vote for their candidate,” said the source.
Mr Gonese told journalists that MDC-T had unearthed a plot by Zanu-PF to lure MDC-T MPs.
“Five of our MPs received US$5 000 from a co-ordinator of the syndicate, a Senator . . . which they quickly handed over . . . as the evidence of the scam,” he said.
Yesterday’s poll followed Tsholotsho No-rth House of Assembly representative Professor Jonathan Moyo (Zanu-PF), and MDC’s Mr Moses Mzila Ndlovu, Mr Patrick Dube and Siyabonga Ncube’s challenge of the election that made Mr Lovemore Moyo the Speaker back in August 2008.
They argued that the poll was not held by secret ballot as per Parliament’s Standing Rules and Orders.
That election was also marred by allegations of vote-buying.
Professor Welshman Ncube’s MDC – whose seven MPs were deemed crucial to swinging yesterday’s vote – were at the time accused of being induced to vote for Mr Lovemore Moyo ahead of their own party’s candidate, Mr Paul Themba Nya- thi.
It was reported at the time that the MDC MPs were taken to Botswana where they met Mr Lovemore Moyo and were introduced to him as “their” candidate.
Like in the present case, no conclusive evidence was ever provided that money had indeed changed hands.