Two youths arrested over ‘voter registration exercise’

Posted by on Tuesday, February 5, 2013 in Elections, Zimbabwe politics | 1 comment

Leo Chamahwinya and three others, are still in police custody following their arrests in December last year

By Violet Gonda
05 February 2013

Police arrested two prospective voters over registration receipts in Lupane, Matabeleland North Province, according to the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights.

Initially on Monday police arrested 40 people, who were later released, leaving Brilliant Goboza and Ray Ncube from the National Youth Development Trust in custody. They have been charged with contravening the Criminal Law Act for allegedly possessing voter registration receipts.
The rights group said they were allegedly found with a number of receipts issued at the Registrar General’s Office where you register as a voter.

These latest arrests come not long after the arrest of ZimRights officials, including director Okay Machisa, on similar charges of undertaking an “illegal” voter registration exercise ahead of the forthcoming polls.

Machisa was released on bail last week but his Deputy Programmes Manager, Leo Chamahwinya and three others, are still in police custody following their arrests in December last year.

Charles Moyo from Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights was only allowed access to his clients on Tuesday. The two are expected in court on Wednesday.

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  • Chimbwidos Warvets

    Will there be free and fair elections in this country when members affiliated to the MDC-T are already showing an appetite for rigging the general elections? It appears to me this trend is occurring throughout the country and does not promote the idea for free and fair elections as propagated by the MDC-T. It is all blues lies and an attempt to hoodwink the nation into believing they are the victims of the ZANU PF machinations while they are the real culprits. The bottom line is that these cheats should dance to their own sweet music by going to prison.