Zimpapers Logo

Sukoluhle Ndlovu, Midlands Bureau
THE Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) exercise which kicked off on Monday is running smoothly in the Midlands Province with Gokwe recording the highest turnout out of eight districts in the province.

BVR which is expected to create a new voters roll for the 2018 harmonised elections, was launched by President Mugabe last week.

A team has been deployed, each to the eight districts of Gweru, Kwekwe, Chirumanzu, Zvishavane, Mberengwa, Gokwe North, Gokwe South and Shurugwi.

Provincial Elections Officer Mrs Dorcas Mpofu said so far the exercise has gone on smoothly and that people have been very receptive.

Since Monday 363 people have been registered, 236 men and 127 women.

“So far, the process is going smoothly and we haven’t been facing any challenges. The people have been very receptive towards the process and they are coming in numbers as members of the public are showing understanding of the required documents. We have registered a total of 363 people,” she said.

In Gweru, the process began slowly with very few people trickling in at the district centre in the Old Prison Complex along Mkoba road. A few prospective voters were seen queuing for the registration process while a handful was inquiring about the process.

A few were however, turned away owing to lack of the required documents like proof of residence and national ID or passport. The biometric voter registration exercise is expected to go a gear up soon when the remaining 2 600 BVR kits are expected to arrive from China.