THE Zimbabwe Election Support Network (Zesn) has come up in full support of a Chinese firm, Laxton Group Limited, which won the bid to supply biometric voter registration (BVR) kits to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec), saying the Asian company had a reputable track record.
BY BLESSED MHLANGA
Zesn director, Rindai Chipfunde-Vava told NewsDay in a recent interview that both Laxton Group Limited and the losing bidder, Dermalog Identification Systems from Germany, had extensive experience in managing election registration data.
“They are both competent companies, with Laxton Group Limited being experienced in the supply of BVR kits. They have supplied many African countries,” she said.
“So in terms of expertise or the equipment, it’s not an issue. There are things that need to be looked at which have nothing to do with the supplier.”
Chipfunde-Vava said political parties and the media should focus on the technical aspects, which include training of personnel engaged for voter registration and how data would be stored and protected instead of centering on the supplier of BVR kits.
“The media should seek to establish key issues in handling and management of data, like: Who delivered the training to BVR operators? Was the training properly conducted? Technical support mechanisms: Who does the operator call when something goes wrong? How (and how quickly) will a faulty kit be replaced? What is the impact on voter registration service? Downtime? Swap repair? Adequate spares?) Is there a data recovery process in the event of kit failure?” she said.
Opposition parties recently cried foul, accusing the State Procurement Board (SPB) of forcing Zec to awarding the tender to the Chinese company to please the ruling Zanu PF.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
The Zanu PF government regards China as their all-weather friend.
Meanwhile, National People’s Party leader, Joice Mujuru has urged Zimbabweans to register to vote despite the opaqueness in the BVR tendering system.
“The people of Zimbabwe cannot sit at home and sulk over the BVR system, which was moved from UNDP [United Nations Development Programme] to SPB for reasons known to Zanu PF. We have to go out in our numbers so that we register to vote Zanu PF out of office,” she said.
MDC-T spokesperson, Obert Gutu shared the same views, saying failure to register to vote was an injustice to the future of the nation and youth.
“We will not be deterred. We are now mobilising the youth to go and register so that they vote because failure to register to vote means the Zanu PF regime will remain in power, destroying the future of our country and youth,” he said.
