We’re ready to conduct elections, says ZEC

journalists during a joint Press conference to launch a spe­cial committee on conflict manage­ment.
ZEC, Joint Monitoring and Imple­mentation Committee, Organ on National Healing, Reconciliation and Integration, Zimbabwe Republic Police and the Zimbabwe Media Commission constituted the commit­tee.

“ZEC is always ready to conduct a referendum. Technically, we are ready to hold elections or referendum on the basis that the Commission is properly resourced financially and materially.
“Funds should be made available bearing in mind that some lead activ­ities in elections take place at least six weeks before the actual poll,” said Mrs Kazembe.

Some of the lead activities required are inspection of the voters’ roll, acquisition of election materials and indelible ink, staff training, delimita­tion, voter education and the actual conduct of elections.
The Commission, said Mrs Kazembe, had sourced funding from the United Nations Development Pro­gramme, Sweden and the Royal Dan­ish

Embassy to acquire equipment and craft a five-year strategic plan.
Some of the equipment included 15 vehicles, 100 computers, 125 laptops, eight heavy-duty photocopiers and 11 public address systems.
Mrs Kazembe said ZEC had an agreement with the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa to conduct a variety of consultative meetings with 24 political parties and more than 120 civil society represen­tatives and heads of media houses.

There was also a question that some political parties claimed that partisan state security agents staffed ZEC sec­retariat and other employees seconded from various government depart­ments.
Mrs Kazembe dismissed the claims as unfounded.

“They are full time staff recruited by ZEC following proper employment procedures as laid out in the Labour Act and other relevant statutes,” she said.

On what ZEC had learnt from the 2008 harmonised elections, Mrs Kazembe said one of the lessons was the need to timeously release results.

Turning to the conflict management committee, Mrs Kazembe said it was born out of the realisation of the nature of elections and the desire by ZEC to have a peaceful electoral process.
ZEC commissioner Mr Theophellus Gambe will chair the committee.

Mrs Kazembe said ZEC found it prudent to build synergies with other bod­ies that seek to have peaceful elec­tions in the country such as the police, Jomic, Organ on National Healing, Reconciliation and Integration and ZMC.

Speaking at the same occasion, Mr Gambe said the committee sought to advance areas of collaboration in political conflict management and res­olution.

This, he said, would be achieved through sharing information, mutu­ally condemning acts of violence pub­licly, supporting and reinforcing each other in respect of violent conflict pre­vention among other issues.

“It’s a social contract promoting a culture of tolerance, it has no legal powers,” he said while responding to questions from journalists.
Zimbabwe is expected to hold gen­eral elections in March when the cur­rent term of Parliament expires.
ZMC chairperson Mr Godfrey Majonga, representatives from the police, Organ on National Healing, Reconciliation and Integration attended the joint Press conference.