ZEC is currently conducting a 10-day voter registration blitz that started last Sunday and is
expected to end on Tuesday in a mop up exercise that will enable those who had been left out in
the first phase to register.
However, Hwange residents are not happy with the duration of the mobile registration blitz
saying there is a need to extend the days to accommodate more new voters.
Moreblessing Shoko from Change said the days should have been more for everyone to be
accommodated.
“Some of us were not even able to reach out to the Hwange ZEC office, because we were not
even aware, so we would like ZEC to extend the days to accommodate everyone,” he said.
Another resident from Empumalanga said the exercise by ZEC was welcome and she managed to
register which will enable her to vote for the first time.
“I am a first time voter and I'm super excited that I’m going to vote for the first time,” said
Loretta Shoko from Empumalanga.
However the exercise has been fraught with challenges that include slow process due to shortage
of BVR machines, long distances to registration centres, breaking down of the machines, lack of
access to information and unfriendly weather, among other challenges.
Having acknowledged some of the challenges, ZEC remains tight-lipped on a possible extension
of the current blitz.
In a preliminary statement, Election Resource Centre (ERC) noted that the 10 days for the blitz
were inadequate to ensure that all those who are eligible to vote can be registered.
“We urge the ZEC to increase the number of days and voter registration centers before the
President proclaims the election date,” said ERC.
It further noted that the number of registration centers is only a quarter of the number of polling
stations in the country and that those who wish to transfer have to travel long distances to do so.
An official from Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) Matebeleland North, Miriam
Mandishona said ZEC was doing a great job on mobile voter registration.
“ZEC has done a good job as it was hard for people who stay in rural areas to go to town for
registration. Now the registration centers are accessible.
ZESN has encouraged Hwange residents to take the opportunity of registering to vote
“We are encouraging people to use this opportunity to register. People living with disabilities,
women and other vulnerable group are encouraged to register to vote.
“They are few people who are registering, therefore, let us use this opportunity to go and
register in numbers. The youths should be in the forefront, we have noticed that the youths were
lagging behind in the voter registrations.”
