Kwekwe (New Ziana) – The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) in the Midlands Province on Sunday dispatched voter educators to churches to encourage potential voters to go and register as the nation gears up for next year’s general elections.

The elections body has embarked on phased voter registration, with the first one ending at the end of the month.

ZEC had initially intended to start the voter registration blitz on December 6 last year but postponed it following consultations with stakeholders to allow prospective voters to acquire national identity documents.

In December last year, ZEC revealed that it had only registered close to 3 000 new voters.

ZEC voter educators were moving around churches in Kwekwe on Sunday where they were allocated time to encourage new voters to go and register at designated schools and churches being used as voter registration centres in Kwekwe.

“Those who are not registered to vote, you have been given an opportunity to go and register at your nearest registration centre especially those who are 18 and above.

“You can go to the registration centre with your National Identity document, passport and proof of residence. If your proof of residence does not bear your name, you can write an affidavit to be signed and stamped by a Commissioner of Oath and then come back and register,” one ZEC voter educator told a church gathering in Kwekwe.

She said registered voters who want to transfer from another districts or provinces can also bring with them a signed and stamped affidavit to ZEC officials.
The registration centres open doors at 7am and close at 5pm.

Over 2 700 centres have been established throughout the country for the first phase of the exercise in addition to the 73 permanent district and provincial centres.

ZEC has been presented an estimated budget of ZWL4.5 billion for the mobile voter registration exercise which kicked off on February 1 will run up to February 28 while the second phase will be held between April 11 and 30 this year.

New Ziana