By McGeorge Mbare
Zimbabwe’s ambassador to Mozambique, Victor Matemadanda has denied allegations that Zimbabwean citizens voted in Mozambique‘s 2024 elections, which led to the post electoral instability being experienced in the Southern African country.
Ambassador Victor Matemadanda boldly denied that there was never a Zimbabwean citizen who voted in Mozambique and he also highlighted the videos which went viral claiming that Zimbabwe citizens voted were faked.
“Allegations are allegations until proven, and I don’t know who is going to prove and I also don’t know who has the statistics because what we know is that everyone will agree that Zimbabwe’s literacy rate is the highest in Africa to mean that our people know the dangers of infringing other (countries) constitutions laws and as ambassador I never come across a person who is said to be a Zimbabwean who voted .infact I was moving around, I didn’t see one,” said Ambassador Matemadanda.
“What we have to do is to deal with evidence so that we know that yes here they are on a queue, a legit met queue, not those ones of people who stand on the forest and say I come from Mberengwa, and stuff, what brought you together into the bush. I don’t suggest I’m telling you that those videos are fake, because how do get the person from Plumtree, the other one from Murehwa, the other from Chinhoyi being grouped together in a group in a bush …” he added.
Matemadanda comments come in the wake of several videos that have gone viral allegedly showing ZANU PF supporters receiving their Mozambican IDs and casting their votes, which potentially influenced the elections outcome in favour of the ruling party Frelimo.
The resultant effect being violence in Mozambique as opposition party leaders cite electoral fraud by the ruling party and part of the blame being laid on the door of Zimbabwe’s ruling party.
Meanwhile, the President of Mozambique, Filipe Nyusi letter to opposition leader Venancio Mondlane requesting for a meeting to be held on November 26 following the widespread protests by Mozambicans rejecting the elections results.
Speculations within the diplomats in Mozambique suggest that the Frelimo government is calling the meeting to consider discussion of the idea of Government of National Unity with the opposition leader.