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Mr Komichi

Tendai Rupapa Senior Court Reporter
The policeman whose ballot papers were found in MDC-T deputy national chairman Morgan Komichi’s possession yesterday told the court that he did not vote during the special voting but was shocked to learn that his ballot papers were picked in a dust bin at a city hotel.
Constable Mugove Chiginya said up to now he does not know how the envelope and the postal ballot look like.
Chiginya is the fourth State witness in the trial of Komichi who is facing a charge of fraud and contravening the Electoral Act after he was found in possession of an envelope containing ballot papers belonging to Cst Chiginya.

He claimed to have picked the envelope in a dustbin at a city hotel.
Cst Chiginya also testified that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission officials confirmed that he did not vote after finding that his finger did not have traces of the indelible ink.

“Your worship the envelope was never availed to me,” said Cst Chiginya.
“I do not even know how the packet containing special vote ballot papers looks like.

“I failed to vote at Mt Pleasant hall since my name was not called out. I went back the following day hoping to cast my vote but still I failed again,” Cst Chiginya said.

He said after the arrest of Komichi he was picked by police detectives from law and order section and they questioned him if he had voted during the special voting process.

“They also took me to Zec offices where my finger was examined using a machine to detect if it was reflecting some ink. It was established that I did not vote,” he said.

Cst Chiginya said that he was shocked to learn that his ballot papers were  said  to have been picked in a bin.
During cross-examination by Komichi’s lawyer Mr Alec Muchadehama, Cst Chiginya said that he was registered  as a voter in Mbare constituency.

Mr Muchadehama told Cst Chiginya that according to records in his possession, he was registered as a voter in four constituencies but Cst Chiginya maintained that he was registered only in Mbare constituency.

The trial continues on Monday before magistrate Mr Tendai Mahwe with the fifth State witness expected to testify.
Komichi was arrested for contravening the Electoral Act, which makes it a criminal offence for an unauthorised person to possess ballot papers or to tamper with them.

He has been in custody since July 29.