Aspiring ZANU PF Chinhoyi Ward 12 councillor, Enock Fombo, has been reported to police after displaying his campaign banners close to a polling station.
Reports say he was also distributing ZANU PF regalia, including wrappers (maZambia), emblazoned with President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s pictures along roads leading to voting sites in the politically volatile ward.
The banners were mounted along a road that leads to Mhanyame Primary School.
CCC candidate Dyke Makumbi raised the alarm and lodged a complaint with the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) officials, who deployed a police officer who confiscated one banner that is now being held as evidence. Makumbi said:
Zanu PF has activated its election rigging machinery by sending youths to display campaign banners bearing Fombo’s portrait close to the polling station. This happened right in front of me, prompting me to report the matter to ZEC and to police.
The Electoral Act prohibits displaying material bearing political messaging or wearing party regalia, including T-shirts and caps, within a 100-metre radius from a voting site.
This is not the first time Fombo has courted controversy. Last week, he commandeered a council grader operator to refurbish roads and took a ride on the earthmoving equipment as it drove around the ward.
More: NewZimbabwe.com