Expanded police force will be used to rig elections

By Tichaona Sibanda
29 May 2007

Enos Nkala, the former Home Affairs minister after Independence, has said Robert Mugabe is ‘so scared’ of losing next year’s elections that he is turning to the police force to help him rig the poll.

Asked to comment on Monday’s reports that the government had approved plans to double the size of its police force in time for next year’s elections, the former Zanu (PF) strongman said Mugabe was ‘quaking in his trousers’ because he knows without the help of his security forces he will lose the elections.

In recent elections, claimed Nkala, Mugabe trusted his central intelligence organisation and the army to rig the elections for him but has decided to rope in the police to ensure victory

‘There is no threat to security in the country and there is also no threat to law and order except for the few clashes between the police and MDC followers. So my question is…why is Mugabe recruiting more police officers with just a few months before an election?’

Nkala, who emphasised he was speaking as a former Home Affairs minister with a wealth of knowledge of what takes places during an elections added;
‘In my view the objective is to rig the elections and nothing else. When you put so many policemen near a polling booth you threaten the ordinary man. When you have as many officers around the polling station the ordinary person also feels threatened and will vote for what he’s been told to do.’

He added; ‘after the votes, who guards the ballot boxes? Who transports the boxes. A lot happens during this period and you will have many boxes being stuffed and many others being destroyed. Don’t ask me how it’s done now because I’m no longer in government. The best person to ask that question is Mugabe.’