APPARENTLY stung by reports of chaotic scenes characterising most mobile voter registration centres since the launch of the exercise last month, Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) chairperson Justice Rita Makarau yesterday toured four centres in Harare to get a first hand account of the goings-on.
REPORT BY SENIOR REPORTER
Justice Makarau’s tour took her to Mount Pleasant, Budiriro, Kambuzuma and Chitungwiza. The Zec boss’ visit comes hardly 24 hours after Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai struggled to have his 18-year-old twins Milcent and Vincent registered at one of the mobile sites in the capital.
Officials from the Registrar-General’s office insisted on the PM’s children to produce proof of residence after which Tsvangirai had to write an affidavit swearing he lived with them to enable them to register as voters.
Zec’s chief elections officer Lovemore Sekeramayi said Justice Makarau had undertaken the tour to observe first-hand the voter registration process.
“She is the chairperson of Zec and so she wants to see what is happening at registration centers. She is mandated with knowing what is happening at registration centres that is why she has visited them,” Sekeramayi said.
Last week, Justice Makarau said no prospective voters should be turned away for failing to produce proof of residence, adding residents could still use affidavits to confirm their residence.
