×
NewsDay

AMH is an independent media house free from political ties or outside influence. We have four newspapers: The Zimbabwe Independent, a business weekly published every Friday, The Standard, a weekly published every Sunday, and Southern and NewsDay, our daily newspapers. Each has an online edition.

Chiwundura case exposes Zec, Registrar-General

The pretence that everything is in order regarding the holding of elections in this country has finally been shattered and polls have been revealed for what they really are — an ultimate farce.

The pretence that everything is in order regarding the holding of elections in this country has finally been shattered and polls have been revealed for what they really are — an ultimate farce.

Comment: NewsDay Editor

Registrar-General Tobaiwa Mudede
Registrar-General Tobaiwa Mudede

In case there was anyone, who doubted that something was amiss with the voters’ roll, the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) and the Registrar-General’s Office, the recent Chiwundura by-election has exposed the shortcomings of the election management bodies.

There were revelations of multiple registrations, where a high number of people were registered as having the same name, date of birth and address, with the only difference being identity numbers.

The Election Resource Centre also revealed that in some cases, the suffixes on identity numbers were inconsistent with the numbering in the country, with this pointing to one of the biggest frauds ever to have taken place in the country.

It is no wonder that the RG’s Office was so obstinate about releasing the voters’ register ahead of the 2013 elections, because they knew it was a contemptible travesty.

This vindicates the opposition, which has always claimed the 2013 elections were rigged, because there is no way that a voters’ roll with such fundamental and tragic flaws can be used to hold credible elections.

We wonder what further anomalies will be revealed if the whole register were to be scrutinised, but we are sure that this points to a “great elections robbery”.

In the Chiwundura case, Makarau says it is not uncommon for people to have similar names living in one constituency, a meek and hardly convincing response for her body’s failure to ensure that elections are held with a credible voters’ roll.

If ever there was any justification for divesting the RG’s Office of the control of the voters’ roll, the Chiwundura example is a perfect reason and we would not be out of order if we declared that we do not want Registrar-General Tobaiwa Mudede anywhere near the voters’ roll.

Makarau should now pursue her constitutional mandate of registering voters, while ensuring that Mudede stays away.

A lot is at stake with the biometric voter registration (BVR) exercise and it is the duty of every responsible Zimbabwean to ensure that it succeeds, as its failure could be detrimental to Zimbabwe.

If the BVR exercise fails, then — God forbid — Zimbabwe could be forced into the next elections with the tragically flawed Mudede voters’ roll, which would see a repeat of the Chiwundura farce of multiple voter registration.

Stakes are high and the integrity of next year’s polls hinges on a credible voters’ roll.