Voter registration problems mount

HARARE – Aspiring voters continue to face problems with registration in the ongoing outreach programme in Zimbabwe, amid revelations that some wards have been given only two days within which to be attended to. 

On Monday, the Registrar General, Tobaiwa Mudede, told the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Defence and Home Affairs that, due to a critical shortage of money, his department and the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission would reduce registration in wards to three days.

The constitution, however, stipulates that intensive voter registration, which is mandatory, should cover 30 days and must be ward based. Mudede said mobile voter registration would be district based.

Rural voters in Zvimba and Zowa in Mashonaland West, Chirumanzu, Zvishavane, Silobela and Mberengwa in the Midlands as well as Chipinge in Manicaland told The Zimbabwean that they had only learnt through rumour that they should converge at combined registration centres on given dates to register.

“We heard that voter educators visited our school and asked students to spread the word that we should go and register at a shopping centre on June 18 and 19. We have not met the voter educators and I am not sure what we are supposed to do,” said Georgina Maphosa from Guramatunhu in Chirimhanzu.

Samson Jamba from Zowa in Mashonaland West said villagers from his community were told that they should gather at another business centre on July 2 and 3.

The villagers are under the impression that the next election will be held when they go to register, indicating that the information is being distorted along the way.

In Silobela, voters are being forced to travel distances of more than 50km to register and inspect the voters’ roll, but many are staying at home.

“We don’t have the money and the roads are very poor. The government should ensure that we have officials in charge of registration coming to us, otherwise we will not be able to vote,” said Sifile Mabhena from Silobela.

The Zimbabwe Election Support Network, civic society and political parties have warned that thousands of people will be disenfranchised by the decision to make voter registration district based.

In urban areas, Zimbabweans visiting registration centres with the intention of acquiring national identity documents told The Zimbabwean that they were experiencing significant problems.

In the Hatcliffe suburb of Harare one resident had to be referred to the Registrar General’s offices at Market Square but the registration officials would not give the reasons.

“The decisions that need to be made for this one can only be made by someone higher than me. There are some complications with this one,” one of the officials said.

Election Resource Centre Director, Tawanda Chimhini, told The Zimbabwean that they had received reports that some centres do not have the affidavit forms which are supposed to cater for those without proof of residence.

“There has been an overwhelming response to calls for people to register but we have received reports that at some centres there are no affidavit forms. This has disenfranchised people who intend to register,” Chimhini said.

He welcomed positive feedback he said he had received of the conduct of some officials but expressed concern at the number of voter educators. In Seke, people had problems acquiring national identification particulars with registration officials saying they had no stationery.

“They only recorded our details and told us to come back on Friday but we thought we would finish this process in one day. Now we don’ even know if we will get them. The question is, why did they not have them in the first place?” one man told The Zimbabwean.

In Marondera East, a source told The Zimbabwean that he witnessed truckloads of Zanu (PF) supporters being ferried to a registration centre at Mushangwe Primary School by a prospective candidate for that party.

He however described the atmosphere as calm saying people were enthusiastic but news of the proclamation was unsettling them. The Zimbabwean