Ichashazi elingahle lilulaze idemokhrasi ezwenikazi
“Idemokhrasi nguHulumeni wabantu, owenzelwe abantu” lawa ngamagama kaMnu u-Abraham Lincoln owayenguMengameli wase-USA. Lokhu kukhuluma kubeka isithombe sokuthi idemokhrasi iyona eyakhelwe ukuthi yenze impilo yabantu ibelula futhi ibe nokuthula. Kule minyaka elinye lamasosha edemokhrasi okungamakhomishana alawulwa noma engamela ukhetho emazweni ase-Afrika angaphansi kwegcindezi njengoba sekuze kungenelela nezinkantolo. Lokhu akwenzeki le kude kepha nalapha eNingizimu Afrika abe Independent Electoral Commission(IEC) banegcindezi.
Muva nje inkatholo yaseMalawi iguqule isinqumo sokhetho olwabanjwa ngonyaka wezi-2019. Kulolu khetho kwanqoba iDemocratic Progressive Party eholwa ngonguMengameli wezwe uMutharika. Ngokwezibalo zangaleso sikhathi leli qembu lanqoba ngamaphesenti angama-38,57 lilandelwa yiMalawi Congress Party eholwa nguMnu uChakwera elathola amaphesenti angama-35,41.
Le miphumela ayamukelwanga ngezinye izinhlangothi ezweni ngenxa yezinsolo zokuthi kukhona okungahamba kahle uma kubalwa nokuyinto evunywe yinkantolo ngomhla zi-3 kuNhlolanja kowezi-2020. Ekhipha isinqumo uMehluleli u-Ivy Kamanga wathi; “Kwakucacile ukuthi ukusetshenziswa kwetippex kwakusetshenziswe abe-Electroral Commision ukufi hla amavoti.” Lesi sinqumo silulaze kakhulu inhlangano ebhekelele ukhetho ngoba ngamafuphi sithi ichemile. Bese kungokwesibili e-Afrika inkatolo ichitha isinqumo sokhetho. Ngonyaka wezi-2017 eKenya kwabanokhetho lapho kwanqoba khona iqembu iJubilee Party of Kenya eholwa nguMengameli uKenyatta. Izibalo zokhetho zakhomba ukuthi leli qembu lanqoba ngamaphesenti angama-54,2 lilandelwa yi-Orange Democratic Movement eholwa nguMnu uRaila Odinga lona elathola amaphesenti angama-44,92.
Imiphumela ayemukelwanga ngabehlulilwe nabathatha udaba baluyisa enkantolo. Emveni kwezethulo iNkantolo Enkulu yaseKenya yanquma ukuthi akubuye kubalwe nokwembula izinqe inhlangano eyengamele i-Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC). Phakathi kokunye le nhlangano yasolwa ngokunqinda abamele amaqembu aphikisayo ekutholeni ulwazi olumqoka mayelana nokhetho nemiphumela. Ababenqabela yizisebenzi zamaqembu aphikisayo ukufi nyelela okugcwele uma kukhulunywa ngamavoti Inkantolo yanquma ukuthi aluphindwe ukhetho emuva kwezinsuku ezingama-60. Isiqapha kanjani Kuzo zonke lezi ziwombe kukhona imali eningi echithwayo yabantu nezinhlangano okuthiwa ziqaphe ukhetho. Imvamisa lezi zinhlangano zifi ka ezweni kungakavotwa, bese zitshalwa ezweni lonke. Kuthi uma sekuphele ukuvota zikhiphe umbiko wazo ngalokho ezikubonile ngesikhathi sokhetho. Bekuvame ukuthi ukuphawula kwazo kuhlonishwe hhayi kuphela ngabantu bamazwe lapho kusuke kunokhetho khona kepha nezinhlaka zamazwe noHulumeni. Muva nje lokho sekuguqukile njengoba sekukhona abazisola ngokuchema nazo.
INingizimu Afrika nje ike yaba yiqaqa emaqenjini aphikisayo eZimbabwe njengoba ibisolwa ngokuthi yeseka iqembu elibusayo nokukapakele ngisho ezinhlakeni zayo (iNingizimu Afrika) ezabe zizoba yizingqapheli okhethweni lakuleliya lizwe. Okhethweni lwaseKenya nolwaseMalawi bezikhona izingqapheli zansondo, zasho okunye njengoba nezinkantolo zasho okunye nokushiye imibuzo ngazo. Muva nje inhlangano ebhekele ukhetho kuleli i-IEC ike yathwala kanzima ikakhulukazi ngesikhathi isiba nomphathi omusha uMnu uMashinini nowafi kela phezu kwenkanankana ngoba ufi ka nje vele sekukhona ukukhuluma kokungayethembi le nhlangano ngenxa yamaphutha kanjalo nezinsolo zokwenzelela.
Elinye iphutha elingagqamanga kwabezindaba kwaba wudaba oluthinta isihlalo se-African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP) ngokhetho lowezi-2004. Lapha i-ACDP yasola abe-IEC ngokwenza iphutha ekwabeni izihlalo nayilapho yagixabeza isihlalo sayo i-Azanian People’s Organisation (Azapo). Njengoba leli phutha latholakala emuva kokuqinisekiswa kwemiphumela i-ACDP yedlulisela udaba eNkantolo Yokhetho (Electoral Court) neyavuna i-ACDP. Olunye olwaba sematheni ngolokhetho lokhuchibiyela olwenzeka ngaphansi kukaMasipala iTlokwe esifundeni iNorth West. Ecaleni elibhaliswe ngokuthi yiKham and other v Electoral Commission and Others, ababengenele ukhetho ngokuzimela. Lapho izisebenzi ze-IEC zathela le nhlangano ngehlazo ngenxa yobudedengu.
Kulolu daba ababengenele ukhetho njengabantu abazimele bayisa i-IEC eNkantolo beyisola ngokuthi ivume ukuba kube nabantu abavota esigcemeni kepha bengabhalisile noma bengebona abendawo. Okumangazayo lapha wukuthi ngisho inkantolo ingakanqumi, uphenyo lwayo i-IEC yakuveza ukuthi abantu abangaphezu kwe-1000 babebhalise ezigcemeni abangahlali kuzo, kwathi abangama-300 behluleka ukuveza ubufakazi bokuthi bahlala lapho babe bhalisele khona. Kanti yona iNkantolo yathola okushaqisayo ukuthi phakathi konyaka wezi-2000 kuya kowezi-2004 kubavoti abasha abayizi-3832 abayi-1040 babebhalise ezindaweni okungezona kwathi iminingwane yabangama-332 yangacacisa ukuthi ngabakuphi. Esinqumweni sakhe uMehluleli washo okwacacela noma ngubani ukuthi usola amabomu lapha: “Okukhathazayo ngalokhu ukuthi akukho ncazelo yokuthi kwenzeka kanjani ukubhaliswa okungaqondile. Ukuthatha ngokuthi amakheli ayenikezwe ngalaba bavoti kwakungaphelele, lokho kwenza kungacaci ukuthi bavota kusiphi isifunda nokwenza kube lukhuni ukugagula iwadi okufanele babhalise kulona. Kungani pho bafakwa emawadini okungesiwona kunokuthi bafakwe kulawo okuyiwona?
Ngabe lokhu kwazenzakalela? Kuyethusa uma kunjalo.” Akungabazisi ukuthi isinqumo saseTlokwe sathela abe-IEC ngehlazo nokungaba yinxeba labo abaphikisana nayo abangangena ngalo nxa bebona ukuthi imiphumela kayihambi njengoba befi sa. Lapha uMehluleli kwala kancane athi i-IEC yabe inenhloso ekwenzeni lokhu esolwa ngakho nokuyinto eyakha isithombe esingesihle. Okusobala wukuthi ichashazi ezinhlanganweni ezimele ukhetho selikhona. Kukuzo ukuthi zizihlanza kanjani ngoba uma liqhubela ichashazi leli lisabalala ikhona ingozi yokuthi lilulaze inqubo yedemokhrasi e-Afrika.