ZIMBABWEA: A Zimbabwean army officer yesterday described how, under orders, he forged thousands of ballots for President Robert Mugabe in last year's disputed presidential elections.
Lieut Herbert Ndlovu (43) said he had worked with five army personnel to falsify thousands of army postal ballots so they were all for Mr Mugabe. "I knew it was wrong, but I was given orders."
Speaking to reporters in Johannesburg, he said he had been instructed to fill out the ballots by a Capt Chauke at the headquarters of the 4th Brigade in the city of Masvingo in February, a month before the election.
This is the first public testimony of ballot stuffing, and should bolster the considerable evidence of voting fraud being presented in court to challenge Mr Mugabe's re-election.
Lieut Ndlovu said he had later been accused by the army's security division of sympathising with the opposition party, the Movement for Democratic Change. He told of prolonged beatings and torture by electric shock by security officers that have left him, 20 months later, needing crutches.
The lieutenant and another army officer who survived similar torture fled Zimbabwe this week to make their allegations.
"We do not even feel safe here in South Africa, but we want the world to know about the terrible things that are going on," Lieut Ndlovu said. "We both fought to liberate our country from Rhodesian oppression, but we never expected to see this new oppression."
His testimony is expected to be added to the evidence being presented in the high court in Harare by the Zimbabwe opposition leader, Mr Morgan Tsvangirai, who is challenging the legitimacy of Mr Mugabe's presidency on the grounds of widespread voting fraud and state violence.