The behaviour by Zanu PF aspiring Member of Parliament for Zvishavane-Ngezi constituency who was captured in a video recording last week threatening rural voters with violence cannot go unchallenged.
There are several more such incidents that have been reported on social media where officials of the ruling party, and even traditional leaders, are caught on camera threatening voters in the rural areas with all sorts of punishment including violence, displacement and even death, if they do not vote for Zanu PF.
Such behaviour constitutes electoral malpractice which the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission and the police should deal with.
Social media should be hailed for exposing electoral shenanigans including threats of violence and will provide evidence of political crimes in this election.
There have already been several incidents of blatant intimidation of voters that have been recorded live and published on social media. What is good is that electoral players that thrive on threats and violence are being exposed.
Zimbabwe goes to election next week and it is important that we all go out to vote without fear — only favour for political leaders of our choice.
Politicians that threaten voters in order to seize their vote do not have the nation's interests at heart. Such politicians do not deserve anyone's vote.
Incidents of political intimidation by prospective Members of Parliament show that there is no spontaneity to electoral violence. The beatings, displacements and deaths that happen during elections are carefully planned, plotted and directed with military precision from above and executed sometimes with the aid of security institutions that the ruling party refuses to have reformed!
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This time, however, we hope that the presence everywhere of technology to expose such barbaric acts will be a deterrent. We expect political contestants to fight clean — present manifestos and convince the voter to choose them.
Violence is a weapon used by incumbent councillors and MPs whose track records are riddled with bullets of lies and deceit.
These are politicians returning to the electorate violently demanding their vote after five years of absence; five years of arrogance and impunity; five years of unmitigated hunger in the constituency.
We expect that the law enforcers will take charge and clampdown on all perpetrators of violence without fear or favour and that election observers make fair and truthful reports of what will be happening on the ground.
When incidents such as the Zvishavane-Ngezi voter intimidation go without police and/or the electoral authorities taking any action, the elections cannot be certified free and fair.
Electoral contestants too, will lose confidence in the process — a recipe for contested results.
