THE MDC-T has demanded that the Registrar General’s Office must stop demanding confirmation letters from chiefs and headmen for villagers to be registered as voters, saying the requirement is subject to abuse by Zanu PF during the mobile voter registration exercise.
Report by Nqobile Bhebhe
The three-week exercise starts today and ends on May 19.
It was supposed to start on January 3, but failed to take off because Treasury had not released funds to the RG’s Office.
Last week, the government availed $8 million for the exercise, which marks the beginning of preparations for harmonised elections later this year.
MDC-T spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora yesterday told NewsDay the requirement of confirmation letters could easily be manipulated by Zanu PF at the expense of other political parties.
In urban areas, residents are required to produce proof of residence which may include sworn affidavits and utility bills.
“Voter registration was long overdue, but as a party we are not happy with certain conditions attached to it particularly in rural areas,” Mwonzora said.
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“The requirement that villagers should produce confirmation letters from chiefs and headmen should be scrapped.
“We feel that only Zanu PF members would be granted the letters leaving out other people who do not support Zanu PF and some could be our members.”
He added that the May 19 cut-off date should be set aside to give all Zimbabweans enough time to register as voters.
Zanu PF considers rural areas to be its strongholds, but the party has been struggling to win elections in provinces such as Matabeleland and Midlands.
Civic society organisations have also called for the lifting of restrictions on their operations, saying the mobile voter registration exercise would fall short of covering a large spectrum as the government had limited capacity.
They said civic society had a large network to reach out to many people and the government could tap into their resources.
National Association of Non-Governmental Organisations national chairperson Effie Ncube yesterday said they were sceptical about the government’s capacity to carry out a successful voter registration exercise.
“The mobile voter registration drive is much welcomed in the civic society,” he said.
“But we are worried whether the government has the capacity to embark on a large-scale voter registration.
“As civic society, we are ready to assist as we have established wide networks countrywide, but we are banned from conducting voter education and human rights campaigns.
“The government should lift the ban and allow us to assist on this national exercise.”
In the past 10 years, Zanu PF has become critical of NGOs’ operations, resorting to blanket bans towards elections as a way of curbing criticism.
The RG is responsible for registering voters and issuing national identity documents, which are required for one to register as a voter.
The department has been slammed for failing to discharge its duties competently.
MDC secretary-general Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga recently said there was need for online voter registration to replace the current system, which she described as obsolete.
The MDC says long queues witnessed at the RG’s Office discourage a lot of people, especially youths, from getting registered.
