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Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) has established 4 474 centres where citizens can register to vote during the mobile biometric voter registration which begins on Sunday.

Bulawayo has 71 centres and the mobile voter registration exercise ends on 21 March.

 

Zec yesterday released a schedule detailing where its team will be deployed during the programme.

At least 5,8 million citizens have registered to vote and Zec is conducting the last round of mobile voter registration before the elections.

President Mnangagwa recently announced that he will soon proclaim the election date following last month’s gazetting of the new delimitation report.

“It is hereby notified for general information that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission will be carrying out a mobile Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) exercise from March 12 to March 21, 2023 in preparation for the Harmonised Elections,” Zec Deputy CEO Mrs Jane Chigidji she said.

Mrs Chigidji said the registration programme will run from 7AM to 5PM everyday including weekends.
She said the public should present a national identity card (metal, plastic or waiting pass with the holder’s picture when going to register.

A valid Zimbabwean passport can also be presented as an alternative to ID cards.

Mrs Chigidji said proof of residence is another requirement that is needed when individuals visit registration centres.

“Only Zimbabwean citizens who are 18 years and above qualify to register. Please note that the category of persons whose national IDs are inscribed “ALIEN” eligible to register should have long birth certificates indicating they were born in or outside Zimbabwe,” she said.

“But, the birth certificates should indicate that one of their parents are citizens of Zimbabwe or they were born in Zimbabwe, and one or both of their parents are citizens of a Southern African Development Community (Sadc) country, and that they were ordinarily resident in Zimbabwe on the day of the publication of the Constitution on 22 May 2013.”

Political parties and civil society organisations have urged members of the public to register to vote.
Zanu-PF Matabeleland South vice-chairman Cde Albert Nguluvhe said the party will take advantage of the mobile voter registration exercise to mobilise the public to register to vote.

He said the elections give citizens an opportunity to elect their leaders and exercise their democratic right.

“Elections are meant to allow people to elect those who are going to represent them. You need to have a representative otherwise who will represent your wishes. If you don’t select them yourself, who do you think will,” he said.

Cde Nguluvhe said individuals who do not participate in electoral processes are fond of complaining yet they can get their views heard through voting.

“You want to blame someone because they have elected someone, why can’t you elect your leaders? We fought for democracy so that people can express their wishes,” he said.

He said MPs are servants of the people because they are elected by the people to represent them.

Cde Nguluvhe said there might be a need for Zec to work closely with the Civil Registry Department so that members of the public can obtain the required national documents.

MDC-T spokesperson Mr Witness Dube said citizens’ participation in electoral processes is critical as it allows them to determine their political destiny.

“We want to encourage the general populace to register to vote as there is much to gain through voting.

Those who are eligible should go and vote so that they can decide individuals who preside over their governance,” he said.

Civil society organisations under the banner Ekhaya Vote have welcomed the Zec voter registration blitz.

Ekhaya Vote spokesperson Mr Nkosikhona Dibiti said Zec provincial and district offices are located several kilometres away from communities resulting in people not registering.

“Prior to the announcement of the mobile voter registration blitz we were shuttling people to Zec offices to register. We, therefore, welcome the mobile voter registration exercise,” he said.–@nqotshili