The Zimbabwe Republic Police has provided an update regarding the arrest of individuals affiliated with the Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN), Election Resource Centre (ERC), and Team Pachedu. They were detained on charges of purportedly disrupting the electoral process. In a statement seen by Pindula News, Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi, the police spokesperson, stated that the State will not contest their bail applications. Read the statement:
ARREST OF 36 SUSPECTS AND RECOVERY OF ICT EQUIPMENT INTENDED TO BE USED TO ILLEGALLY ANNOUNCE 2023 HARMONISED ELECTION RESULTS
The Zimbabwe Republic Police, on 23rd August 2023, arrested 36 suspects following a raid at various safe houses and hotel rooms set up by certain individuals and civic organisations, including the Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN), Election Resource Centre(ERC) and Team Pachedu, for subversive intentions.
The arrest followed a tip-off that the said persons had set up bases and gathered equipment to use for tabulating voting statistics with the intention of unlawfully announcing election results and transmitting same to foreign country for unknown reasons. The coordinators of the information were hiding at Holiday Inn Hotel in Harare and were in the process of feeding information to a location in The Grange, Harare, where the Presidential Election results were to be have been announced using a VPN System through a so-called “Apollo” concept. The results were to be announced on 24th August 2023 at the instigation of Citizen Coalition for Change (CCC). This action was meant to preempt Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC), which is the sole constitutionally obligated board to announce election results.
The arrested persons are currently in Police custody. As the Zimbabwe Republic Police, we do not regret arresting people who engage in criminal and unlawful activities but in the spirit of promoting national harmony during our election season, the State will not oppose bail.