Harare East legislator, Tendai Biti (CCC), has warned that the activities of ZANU PF-affiliated group Forever Associates Zimbabwe (FAZ) were a recipe for military coups.
Biti alleged that FAZ was tampering with the country’s election process and conducting activities that should only be done by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) saying that could lead to a military coup.
Biti, who is also CCC co-vice president, made the remarks in the National Assembly on Wednesday.
Since the commencement of the voters’ roll inspection exercise by ZEC last week, CCC has claimed that FAZ agents have inundated inspection centres.
Biti demanded that Defence and War Veterans Affairs Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri explain what FAZ was doing at polling stations. ZimLive quoted Biti as saying:
In terms of Chapter 11 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, our Constitution recognises our security forces and security agents, which consist of military, police, prisons and correctional service, and intelligence.
We respect these institutions and we are proud of these institutions who by virtue of Section 208, are bound to respect this parliament as an elected civilian authority.
During this current ongoing voters’ roll inspection exercise, we are seeing at polling stations, a creature and individuals coming from a creature called FAZ. They are virtually in every polling station.
We read that they purport to come from the intelligent service but we know the intelligence service and our intelligent authority.
What is this creature called FAZ and why is it interfering with our elections?
Madam Speaker, if we create parallel structures, it will lead to disaster and military coups.
May the Minister of Defence come and explain what FAZ is doing in our polling stations when in terms of the law only ZEC officials, political parties and candidates are allowed to be in the polling stations.
However, on Wednesday ZEC vice chairperson Rodney Kiwa denied that the electoral management body was deliberately trying to disenfranchise ZANU PF opponents.
He described as “mischievous and preposterous” claims that “some members of a particular political party are targeted for exclusion”.
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