Photo: MDC

An election billboard in Harare calling for people to register .

Sensational new evidence has emerged of how ZANU PF plans to steal the forthcoming elections aided by the Chinese and by the Israeli firm Nikuv.

The arrival of the MDC on the political scene in 2000, and its call for change in the way the country was being governed, spelt the beginning of the end for ZANU PF.

Since then ZANU PF has continued to suffer losses in its support base, with even the traditionally loyal rural dwellers rejecting the party that has promised them much but delivered little in 33 years. Reports also suggest that factionalism has added another dent to the party's crumbling support.

It is widely acknowledged that ZANU PF has lost all elections held since 2000, including the disputed presidential poll that gave the country the current unity government.

Running up to the July 31st poll it is clear that ZANU PF cannot win through a fair electoral process, and now a British newspaper has claimed that it has solid evidence that the party is engaged in electoral fraud.

The claims were carried by the Mail on Sunday which said it had secured the top-secret dossier from sources within ZANU PF outlining exactly how Nikuv and the Chinese government are assisting the party to rig the elections.

This is not the first time that ZANU PF has been accused of tampering with the electoral process, considering that political fraud is embedded in the system. In the past, the party has worked with the registrar-general Tobaiwa Mudede to invent false voters.

But if the dossier is authentic, it will be the most detailed manual so far on the tactics and resources at the disposal of ZANU PF, with the Mail reporting that Nikuv was paid $13 million for its role.

Political commentator Rejoice Ngwenya said: "While it may be difficult to vouch for the provenance of the document, it is not debatable that ZANU PF has a culture of cheating, having done so since 1980 and revelations that they will be doing the same again are not surprising."

Ngwenya added that ZANU PF knew that the MDCs were alert to its traditional rigging tactics and Nikuv was offering the regime a statistical and scientific method of manipulating voter figures, including the under-registration of youths and over-registration of the elderly.

Following the shambolic voter registration process which saw almost two million young people and thousands of 'aliens' failing to register, questions were asked whether this was an example of the country muddling along towards a poll it was unprepared for, or whether this indicated a more sinister plot to steal the election.

In the past two weeks ZANU PF youths have gone on the offensive harassing and intimidating people in what the Mail says is part of the plan to use the militia to 'neutralise the enemy'.

Already, 45,534 youths have been trained and deployed across the country in armed militia to 'stem resistance', with another 7,343 undergoing training and 'mass reorientation classes' to be ready three days before polling, the Mail reveals.

Key revelations in the report include:

Nikuv International Projects is being paid $13 million to manipulate voter registration, counter 'unfavourable' results and 'neutralise' opposition votes.

The Chinese government is helping with ballot rigging, advising on voter intimidation and providing jamming equipment to silence independent radio stations.

Security forces are adamant that six Zanu PF moderates "must be STOPPED" from standing. One of the named politicians, Edward Chindori-Chininga, died last month in a suspicious car crash. His family say it was an assassination.

Funding for the covert campaign is coming from controversial diamond companies, the presidents of two African countries and prominent business figures from Britain, China and Zimbabwe.

Millions of dollars are being directed towards leaders of southern African countries providing independent election monitors to 'drum up support for poll credibility before, during and after elections'.