Controversy is brewing as speculation is rife that the South African government could have worked with a shadowy political party and the Central Intelligence Organisation to influence the outcome of the March 29th Poll.

In the centre of this controversy is Justice Chiota president of a shadowy political party that became active just before the March 29 election has been found in possession of South African customized Government VIP Mercedez Benz.

Background
Justice Chiota is the President of a shadowy political party, the Zimbabwe People’s Party (ZPP). He is the only known official of the party. While the party has registered offices and vehicles according to our investigation it has no structures whatsoever.

According to the party ’s website the party was created on the 19th of February 1994 by its Founder President, Justine Chiota, “Its main mission is to take a leading role in the restructuring of Zimbabwe’s policies by bringing a majority of all Zimbabweans together in a dynamic political movement based on proven core values and standards for the future.”, reads an introduction on the website.

No other candidate has ever contested an election under the party ’s name to date except Chiota himself who in 2000 contested the Harare North constituency (ZPP),he amassed 222 votes, against the winner MDC’s Trudy Stevenson who got 18 976.

After that election he was never heard of again nor his party until eight years later on the March 29 harmonised election as an aspiring presidential election candidate.

During the campaign period his party raised eyebrows when it flighted full-page advertisements in the state media and buying spots on TV and radio,signalling that is it well financed.

It is not plausible Chiota could have financed these adverts himself since his only registered business is a film production company,hardly a big investment in Zimbabwe.

“Fight poverty, join ZPP. Be active – it is your future,” said one of the advertisements then.
Chiota has never granted an interview to any journalist and in August last year declined an interview with Zimbabwe Standard reporter Caiphas Chimhete telling him he was not prepared for an interview as it would jeopardize his political strategy.

He said he would only grant the newspaper an interview after he had registered “several vehicles and a building” he had bought for the party. “There is a strategy which we want to use and talking to the press now would kill that strategy,” he said.

After the presidential election After the presidential election Chiota alongside a former ZANU PF chair
Daniel Shumba president of United People’s Party of Zimbabwe filed a chamber application arguing that there were unlawfully denied registration as candidates.

Chiota claimed that he arrived at the nomination court in sufficient time on nomination day, to be told that his papers were soiled and could not be accepted. He was advised that he could fill in new papers, and as he was present at the court they would be accepted even after the 4.0pm deadline.

The papers were rejected but Chiota appealed the decision and theNominations Court refused the appeal. However, the case then went to the Supreme Court, which agreed that there was a prima facie case. A ten-judge bench is now due to consider the case.

Chiota has since instructed his lawyer to write to President Thabo Mbeki,demanding to join the ongoing talks,Presidents Thabo Mbeki and Robert Mugabeand MDC leaders Morgan Tsvangirai and Arthur Mutambara as respondents.

Chiota also plans to file an urgent application in the Pretoria High Court instructing the talks to cease and the participants to return to their home countries, as well as to pay the costs of the application.

Links with South African government?

This week on Saturday in the plush suburb of Sandton, Chiota was found in possession of a R1,4-million armoured Mercedes-Benz S 600 allegedly registered with the South African government’s VIP protection unit.

The explanation lurks somewhere between Justine Chiota’s claims that the car legitimately belongs to him and the vehicle’s two different number plates linking it to the VIP fleet.

The Sandton area is one of the most opulent in Johannesburg and South Africa, homes in the estate sell for as much as R3-million.

The car has bullet-proof windows, blue sirens behind the front grill and an internal camera by the rear-view mirror.

When South African paper The Star contacted Chiota about the car, his response was: “That’s my car. Period,it’s just a full bullet-proof vehicle”.

He would not explain whether he had bought it in Zimbabwe or in South Africa or whether it had been given to him.

Independent sources who ran checks on the customised number plate “GP GP” – and the car’s individual engine number – and confirmed it was registered as a state-owned car belonging to the “VIP government protection unit (diplomatic)”.

The car’s windscreen also displayed a second number plate number on a separate licence disk – and that, too, was registered to the government. Chiota also claimed he was in a position to speak personally to Mbeki.

Could the Mbeki government have worked in cohorts with the Central Intelligence Organisation(CIO) to sponsor the ZPP as as to split the opposition vote in the last election?The court application by Chiota could it be Mbeki’s underhand plan to delay reaching a settlement with the MDC?The investigation continues.