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Wallace Ruzvidzo-Herald Reporter
SOUTH AFRICA’s harmonised elections have exposed the duplicitous nature of Western observers as what they perceived to be rigging mechanisms and tactics during Zimbabwe’s general polls last year are standard practice.
During the neighbouring country’s polls held on Wednesday, political parties had entrance and exit polls as is widely accepted.
When the ruling Zanu PF party put in place its entrance and exit polls, Western observers and some opposition members then quickly rushed to claim that it was a rigging tactic yet none of them had been barred from setting up their own stations.
Zanu PF was invited to observe the South African polls and a team was deployed, including the ruling party’s Secretary for External Relations, Cde Simbarashe Mumbengegwi, and Deputy Secretary for National Security Cde Tendai Chirau.
Writing on his official X (formerly Twitter) handle, Cde Chirau said the South African general elections had been held in an orderly fashion and had also laid bare the Zimbabwean opposition’s lack of exposure.
“Entrance and exit poll stations by different parties in SA elections. Such stations were set up in Zimbabwe in the 2023 elections by our party and those who are not exposed to such and had not such arrangements cried. It’s not our problem that they are not exposed to modern campaign trends,” he wrote.
In contrast to the Zimbabwean opposition and their Western handlers, South Africa’s main opposition Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Mr Julius Malema said he would not dispute the election outcome.
“We will accept the willingness of the voice of the people of South Africa, whatever the outcome we will not have any query because we campaigned and no one stopped us, we spoke to our people and no one stopped us.
“So, if the people did not receive the message, it means we still need more time to work on convincing our people with regards to voting for the EFF,” said Mr Malema.
Instead of emulating the political maturity demonstrated by his counterparts in other countries, opposition leader Mr Nelson Chamisa denounced the election results if they did not come out in his favour even before the actual election day, in a clear show of political immaturity.
Earlier, South Africa’s Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) said at least seven percent of polling stations opened late because of delays in the delivery of election materials, showing that such incidents were not just an occurrence during Zimbabwe’s harmonised elections.
When the same incident happened in last year’s polls, it was again seen as a rigging tactic by the incumbent Government by Western observers.
The South African polls are further evidence that delaying voter material delivery is something that happens the world over and Zimbabwe is no exception.
Long-winding queues were also a common feature during the South African polls, something South Africans perceived to represent huge voter participation.
In sharp contrast, long queues during the Zimbabwean elections were seen as the opposite by the Western election observers.
South Africans queued late into the night to vote, forcing polling stations to remain open beyond the stipulated closing time in the landmark general election.
Again, when this happened during last year’s harmonised elections, it was seen as a rigging tactic by opposition members as well as their erstwhile Western handlers.
South Africa’s elections have all but exonerated the Second Republic and its democratic rule.
Online Reporter