Zanu-PF has sent out a fresh batch of bulk SMSs ‘thanking’ people for voting for President Mnangagwa on the election day which is now three days away.
Zanu-PF is no stranger to sending bulk SMS asking for people’s votes. And the sensational part of the bulk SMSs is that they were said to be unsolicited by people who received. Consequently, the issue ignited a backlash, with some people accusing of POTRAZ, ZEC, Econet or colluding with Zanu-PF.
The backlash prompted one Masvingo lawyer to take, Zanu-Pf and other three parties to the High Court for facilitating the sending of unsolicited messages to his phone. Since then we haven’t heard what became of the case.
Same old story
This time its no different, some people who received the SMSs are saying they didn’t give their phone numbers to Zanu-Pf.
Until ZEC releases a full report with conclusive findings, we won’t know where Zanu-Pf is getting people’s phone numbers.
The timeline of the bulk SMSs scandal
- Zanu-PF sends unsolicited SMSs asking people to vote for it
- Zimbabwe Electoral Commision (ZEC) says it didn’t give Zanu-PF a database
- Econet releases a statement saying it doesn’t give its database to third parties, save for POTRAZ
- POTRAZ releases statement denying giving Zanu-PF a database with phone numbers
- Zanu-PF released a statement saying it only sent messages to people who attended rallies and left their phone numbers
- A Masvingo lawyer, Owen Mafa of Mutendi, Mudisi and Shumba Legal Practitioners
- Zanu-Pf sends other types of unsolicited messages referring to demonstrations done by MDC Alliance
- ZEC’s preliminary investigation says people who received SMSs where not registered to vote
I received the spam message but I haven’t attended any zanu of rally