ADDRESSING a Zanu PF meeting recently, President Emmerson Mnangagwa said: “All those who don’t have IDs must come together and you get their names to the councillor so they get IDs … I am saying this as the most senior member in the cell, that once you have all those who don’t have IDs, tell me so that I can send a team that will give them registration here”.
A few weeks ago, we read of a story in which people mobilised by Zanu PF were getting national registration documents in the middle of the night in Masvingo.
However, there have been numerous reports that the national programme was deliberately slowing down the process, resulting in many people being turned away because the officials closed for the day before they had been attended to.
Analysts believe that the national process was being slowed down to deny people the opportunity to register and the non-Zanu PF would be disenfranchised because they would not be registered, while the Zanu PF members would be registered through the clandestine night registration exercises.
So the Zanu PF supporters do not even need to present in-person to apply for registration documents, but simply hand over their details to a councillor and the whole process would be done for them.
Comrade President, this practice must stop. You are not a national leader if you orchestrate such blatant rigging shenanigans where genuine citizens who need identification documents are denied registration.
Zanu PF supporters without national identification documents would simply submit their names to a councillor, and the next thing, they have a national identification document and they are registered voters.
Mr President, this is a disgrace.
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Opposition parties and civic society should be seized with this matter.
They should alert these young people who are being registered clandestinely to vote against people behind such corrupt practices.
How can you trust a government which does not follow due process?
Corruption begets corruption. Young people must use the 2023 elections to get rid of corrupt leaders who will ruin their future.
Sadc, the African Union and the United Nations must intervene and stop such corrupt practices.
Those in Zanu PF who care to listen should tell their leaders that they have gone overboard in their corrupt tendencies and must start behaving like national leaders. –Kennedy Kaitano
Why the diaspora cannot voteTHE Constitution of Zimbabwe states that citizens who have reached the age of 18 years may vote.
However, section (23) of the Electoral Act suggests that for citizens to register to vote, they must fulfil the residency requirement for registration.
What is the residency requirement for registration?
The Electoral Act (section 23) requires that citizens must satisfy the residency qualification, which means that an aspiring voter must be resident in that constituency at the date of his or her claim for registration.
Citizens in the diaspora do not satisfy this requirement. Chief Justice Luke Malaba said: “Under the Zimbabwean electoral system, a voter votes not only as a citizen of this country but also to protect his or her rights and interests as a resident of the constituency in which he or she is registered”
Who can vote from abroad/postal vote
The Electoral Act states that only Zimbabwean citizens who are on duty as a member of a disciplined force or as an electoral officer; or on duty in the service of government outside Zimbabwe and spouses may vote from abroad via postal vote.
This restriction denies Zimbabwean citizens working abroad the right to vote.
Postal voting applies to persons who are ordinarily resident in Zimbabwe and are registered voters on the voters’ roll, but are outside the country because their duties require that they be outside Zimbabwe on polling day.
This is a class of people deemed not to have made a conscious decision to leave the country but do so on national duty.
Does the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission have a duty to allow citizens outside Zimbabwe the right to vote?
Registrar-General of Elections & Ors v Morgan Tsvangirai 2002 — the court found that electoral authorities are not under any legal duty to provide machinery in foreign countries to record votes of Zimbabwean citizens registered as voters who live there and are unable to attend personally at polling stations in their constituencies. –Election Resource Centre
There is no winner in every warMORE than 100 days have passed since Russia invaded Ukraine and the conflict seems far from over. Civilians are undoubtedly the biggest victims.
It seems the protagonists have abandoned diplomacy to end the war. Questions are being raised on how the world can respond and prevent such conflicts from recurring.
As we speak, more than six million civilians have fled the country to neighbouring countries.
Since the start of the Russia/Ukraine war, thousands have been killed, cities and towns have been destroyed.
Frankly speaking, there is no hope in sight that this conflict will end soon.
Surely, this war could have been avoided. Hopefully, the call for a peaceful resolution will get louder because this conflict is affecting so many countries, including Zimbabwe, which is thousands of kilometres away.
Genuine talks are needed soon rather than later. Human beings deserve to live in peace. The world must be at peace and peace must reign.
Martin Luther King Jr once said: “Sooner or later, all the people of the world will have to discover a way of living together that is peace, and thus transform this pending cosmic elegy into a creative psalm of brotherhood. If this is achieved, man must involve for all human conflict a method that rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love”.
This statement clearly teaches us the importance of love, unity and peace in times of conflict. We can solve our problems without fighting. Yes, it is very possible.
As I write, more than 90% of Donbas region is now under Russian occupation and this simply means the war is far from over.
The cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk were reported to have been captured by Russian forces. It is no secret that the new tactics and objectives are giving them an advantage in penetrating new territories in Ukraine.
It is a fact that in recent weeks, the Russian forces have been suffering tactical defeats, but they are advancing and many cities in eastern Ukraine have been reduced to rubble.
This will also cause Russia to increase its offensive on Ukrainian soil. Billions of dollars are reported to have been donated to Ukraine in the form of weapons or financial aid mainly for military purposes. My million dollar question is: Why is the United States (US) and its Western allies fanning flames in a domestic dispute between Ukraine and Russia?
It is common knowledge that the US does not want this war to end anytime soon until its objectives are achieved.
It is a fact the US wants the war to rage so that it drains Russia, thereby weaken its economy.
But it seems Russia had prepared for such eventuality.
In this sense, the US is attacking Russia from all sides, but Russia is still standing and its economy shows no sign of distress.
This crisis can be resolved through diplomacy.
The conflict between Ukraine and Russia is bigger than we thought. So it is time for European leaders to call for a ceasefire and let dialogue prevail.
There is no winner in every war. –Terrence Mwedzi
IN response to Police break up prayer meeting, MSIZI MAPHOSA says: Up until we all rise and say enough is enough and be prepared to die and fix our country from the hands of these so-called liberators, we will never taste freedom.
IN response to Come up with climate change adaptive measures, farmers urged, LANGTON GOLAZ says: Honestly, our government’s thinking is poor. If you want to boost agriculture, you cannot approach farmers that way. Put aside money to boost agricultural productivity. Ours is a group of chancers, not leaders.
IN response to Married women free to acquire own housing stands: BCC, BERNARD MAHEMU says: That is where the Bulawayo City Council officials are missing it. Why are they busy introducing by-laws which are likely to cause disharmony in marriages? This is likely to destroy the institution of marriage. It is not government or council’s business to see how couples use their finances, but it is up to them and their families. Cry poor Zimbabwe!
IN response to Govt rallies civil servants to support ED, ACKSON MWANZA says: On voting day, you cannot rally anyone, remember it is a secret ballot. The best way to rally people is serving their needs and your works will rally people for you.
BABA ANOPA GWENYAMBIRA says: For the past years, civil servants have been pestering government to pay them decent salaries to no vail. I do not think President Emmerson Mnangagwa will be successful in rallying them to support his party in the 2023 elections.
DAVIDSON DIVALDO says: Which civil servants are these? Because the ones I know are earning peanuts that cannot even sustain a lower class family, so I do not think they will entertain the ruling party’s overtures.
IN response to Govt admits to acute teacher shortages, BOND MAN-G says: Zimbabwe has more than enough teachers. Just pay the educators good salaries and you will see that there is even an excess of teachers in the country.
ZAMANI NYATHI says: Do not lie, most teachers are leaving the profession due to poor remuneration. Zimbabwe is led by dimwits, period!
