Harare (New Ziana) –The Zanu PF primary elections got off to a slow start in the capital on Saturday with ballot papers arriving late at almost all polling centres.
The voting was supposed to start at 7 AM but by 10 AM there was no activity at most of the polling centres that New Ziana crews visited in Kambuzuma and Mufakose, with voters milling around, waiting for the process to start.
At most polling stations, voting started at 11 AM, after the ballot papers finally arrived from the provincial headquarters near the Fourth Street bus terminus.
At the Kambuzuma Council Creche, ballot papers had not arrived by 9 AM with voters milling around in the grounds and outside the gate.
The situation was the same at Mufakose 1 High School, where both polling officers and ballot papers had not arrived by 10 AM and voters were waiting patiently.
At Current Shopping Centre in Budiriro 5B, voting had just started when the New Ziana crew got there at 11AM
Voting was slowed further by the small number of polling officers deployed, angering voters who became impatient as the process was took long.
Some party officials interviewed complained about the absence of candidates’ pictures on the ballot paper, saying voters were required to write the names of their preferred candidates when some of them could not read or write.
“The challenge with this system is that some voters are illiterate and cannot read or write, the presiding officers are therefore writing for them and they do not know whether it is indeed their preferred candidate’s name written on the ballots,” said Godfrey Chimera, chairman of Chiwenga district in Budiriro South.
He said the ballot papers were also written in English, which some of the voters did not understand.
Several voters interviewed were disgruntled that the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission delimitation exercise altered some constituency boundaries, a development which saw Mufakose constituency being dissolved and some of
its wards being transferred to Kuwadzana, Warren Park, Budiriro and Hopley.
One of the aspiring candidates, only identified as Mandizvidza, was reportedly campaigning in Budiriro only to learn that he would be standing in Budiriro South on Friday and did not have time to campaign in the new constituency, thereby diminishing his chances of winning.
Mandizvidza was squiring up against former Harare province youth league leader Godfrey Gomwe and one Malembo.
At the Glen Norah A polling center, voting started at 10:30 AM and was going on smoothly as the voters’ registers were more accurate and polling officers were finding it easy to identify the voters.
Party district chairperson, Elias Dhliwayo said about 2 500 people were registered to vote in the district and they were turning out in their numbers.
Dhliwayo, however, expressed concern at the delay in delivering ballot papers, and appealed for voting to be extended.
But at Stodart Hall in Mbare, voting was moving fast as the ward had printed registers which were easy to identify voters.
New Ziana
