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Voter registration blitz ‘shambolic’

Politics
BULAWAYO civic society groups have described the ongoing mobile voter registration exercise as a waste of resources as there is an insufficient publicity

BULAWAYO civic society groups have described the ongoing mobile voter registration exercise as a waste of resources as there is an insufficient publicity drive on where prospective voters can register.

Report by Nqobani Ndlovu

The civic groups said the whole exercise is shambolic and chaotic, saying this is cause for concern “as rigging of an election begins with such voter registration exercises”. Mobile voter registration began on Monday after government released $8 million for the exercise.

Civic groups said their surveys since Monday reveal that the whole process is non-existent on the ground.

Effie Ncube, the chairman of the Matabeleland Constitutional Reform Agenda (Macra), said there should have been massive awareness campaigns to ensure maximum registration of new voters.

“Political leaders should also have been involved to ensure maximum awareness and maximum registration of new voters,” he said, adding that massive awareness campaigns will ensure that the whole process is credible since an election can be rigged through voter registration,” Ncube said.

“What happens if there is no awareness is that Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) officials can easily maximise voter registration where their parties command a lot of support and also ensure that there is no voter registration where their parties do not have any support.”

Dumisani Nkomo, from Habbakuk Trust said Zec should engage civic groups to conduct awareness campaigns on the exercise.

“The whole process is shambolic, chaotic and unplanned. There was no concerted effort from Zec to give out information about the whole process and where people can go and register as voters,” he said.

“Zec needs to partner with civic groups to ensure the process is successful, as it is, it’s just a waste of resources.”

Liberty Bhebhe, National Youth Development Trust (NYDT) director, said they had not seen any voter registration in Bulawayo.

“It’s non-existent, there is no information whatsoever and that defies the whole logic of having this process,” he said.

Rodrick Fayayo, the coordinator of the Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association, and Godwin Phiri, the Director of Intsha.com, a youth organisation, weighed in saying there is need for an extension of the voter registration exercise to ensure everyone registers.

“There is also need for another voter registration exercise after a new constitution is adopted to cater for the aliens who currently face problems in registering as voters since our constitution does not recognise them,” Phiri said.

Zec deputy chairperson Joice Kazembe yesterday said the electoral body will address the media today on the mobile voter registration exercise.

The MDCs have alleged that their supporters were facing challenges in trying to register as voters for the upcoming elections.

Some civic society activists have been arrested by the police for assisting youths to register as voters.