HARARE - TRAINEE police officers across the country started casting their postal ballots on Wednesday last week, two days before the date for the presidential run off election had been announced, and hours before a government gazette announced the election will be held within 90 days.

 

ZimDaily was reliably told that all recruits, most of whom voted at polling stations on 29 March, were ordered this time to use postal ballots.

 

 

 

They voted under the watchful eye of the Depot Commander at Morris Depot in Harare. All of them were told to vote for President Robert Mugabe.

 

The same will be done for serving police officers and their dependants, who have also been ordered to vote for Mugabe using postal ballots in the presence of their superiors at the presidential run-off elections to be held on 27 June.

 

Postal ballots are issued to security personnel such as soldiers and police and Zimbabweans at foreign missions.  

 

ZimDaily learnt that last week senior police officers held meetings at police camps around the country ordering all police officers, their wives and dependants to vote for Zanu PF using postal ballots.

 

In the 29 March elections, many polling stations covering police camps recorded opposition victories, mostly with wide margin.

 

There were about 6 000 postal ballot cast in the last election, which were mainly from police officers who were on duty on voting day.

 

An internal police document entitled: Postal Voting Mechanisms said that a police elections command centre would be set up at police general headquarters in Harare.

 

Deputy Police Commissioner General in charge of administration and human resources Barbara Mandizha will head the command centre that will oversee the postal voting.

 

Chief superintended Prudence Chakanyuka will coordinate the scheme while assistant commissioner Margaret Ndangana will work as administrator of the project.

 

The document outlines an elaborate structure of supervision that will ensure that all police officers, spouses and dependents will cast their votes under supervision.

 

MDC spokesperson Nelson Chamisa said they were going to put some measures to stop the use of postal ballot.

 

“There is absolutely no reason why the police should be forced to vote through postal ballots and we are in the process of putting mechanism to stop it,” said Chamisa.

 

Police spokesperson Oliver Mandipaka said no such meetings ever took place and that no one has voted.

 

"No such thing happened and i dont even know what you are talking about," he said.