CLAIM: – ZRP Rusape! rigging is in progress. Police officers are being forced to vote fo (sic) Zanu pf now. NO observers & No media they are voting under the watchful eye of the Dispol rusape at ZRP Rusape DHQ.
SOURCE: Social Media
VERDICT: False
An account on X, formerly known as Twitter, has claimed that ‘police are being forced to vote for ZANU PF now’.
The account, @cozwva, posted, “BREAKING NEWS:- ZRP Rusape! rigging is in progress. Police officers are being forced to vote fo Zanu pf now. NO observers & No media they are voting under the watchful eye of the Dispol rusape at ZRP Rusape DHQ
@ZECzim @euinzim @SADC_News @nickmangwana @USEmbZim @ZimHRNGOForum.’
The post was accompanied by two images reportedly showing police officers voting. The post had over 12,000 views in just over an hour.
A google reverse image search shows that these pictures are not from this year’s election.
The account later published another post, contradicting the first’s claim that the election was being rigged.
It is important that citizens verify information before they share it so as not to undermine trust in the electoral process.
Most police officers use postal voting. Postal voting is where voters cast their ballots by post in advance on the day of elections. This is part of the early voting, whereby voters [such as election officials or security personnel] who are unable to attend their designated polling stations on the day of elections are allowed to cast their ballots early.
Conclusion
The claim that ‘ZRP Rusape! rigging is in progress. Police officers are being forced to vote fo Zanu pf now. NO observers & No media they are voting under the watchful eye of the Dispol rusape at ZRP Rusape DHQ’ has been rated as false. The pictures used in the post are not from the 2023 election cycle.
