Voters' Roll Fiddle: ZANU-PF Notifies ZEC

Zimbabwe Electoral Commission chairperson Justice Rita Makarau (standing), flanked by Commissioners Bessie Nhandara (left), Theophilus Gambe and her deputy Mrs Joyce Kazembe, speaks during a political parties’ meeting in Harare on April 22, 2013., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.

Voters’ roll fiddle: Zanu-PF notifies ZEC

Tuesday, 23 April 2013 00:00
Zimbabwe Herald
Farirai Machivenyika Senior Reporter

ZANU-PF yesterday raised its concerns with the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission about the irregularities it unearthed in the voters’ roll where suspected MDC-T officials are registering their supporters using other people’s houses and unoccupied condemned council hostels in Marondera.

The matter was raised by Zanu-PF secretary for security Cde Sydney Sekeramayi during a consultative meeting between ZEC and political parties at the electoral body’s headquarters.

“If 60 people are registered under Mahachi Building as their place of residence or if we have 200 people registered under Goromonzi Secondary School, it should begin to raise eyebrows. This is an area we think ZEC should look at,” Cde Sekeramayi said.

He said such practices distorted the voters’ roll.

“Our concern is when we have large numbers of people registering under one house.

“These are some of the issues we feel distort our voters’ roll and want them addressed,” he said.

Speakers from other political parties also raised concern with the requirements needed by the Registrar General’s department for one to register as a voter.

MDC-T national chairman Mr Lovemore Moyo, who did not respond to Cde Sekeramayi’s submissions, said requirements for proof of residence were affecting prospective voters, especially in rural areas.

This was a surprising submission given the accusations directed at his party in Marondera.

“In rural areas we have been confronted with a situation where prospective voters have difficulties in registering in the various centres.

“Some are turned away because the letters from the kraal head do not have a date stamp. Honestly, where do we expect a kraal head to get a date stamp?” he said.

Mr Chenjerai Gwanzura from Mavambo said voter registration was time consuming.

“The registration exercise at the RG’s offices is tedious as people spend hours to get registered. We are requesting the RG to ensure that his subordinates take this process seriously because there are a lot of people that are being disenfranchised.

“The requirement of proof of residence is also preventing some people from registering as there are some landlords who are refusing to sign those letters proving residency especially if they know that the tenant supports a rival political party to theirs,” Mr Gwanzura said.

Speaking in an interview ZEC chairperson Justice Rita Makarau, said the organisation would look at the submissions and make a pronouncement in due course.

“We were listening to all those concerns and we hope that in the near future we will be able to address the nation at large and the political parties on the issues,” she said.

Her deputy, Mrs Joyce Kazembe said it was also important to note that the operations of ZEC were governed by law.

“We did not give answers today because the behaviour and mandate of ZEC is governed by law so if there is any need of changes in terms of the law we will throw it back to parliament,” she said.

Mrs Kazembe said inadequate funding was hampering their operations but said they would soon embark on mobile voter registration.

Meanwhile, Justice Makarau said ZEC had not received any evidence to suggest that some of the organisation’s employees were biased and unprofessional.

“This is not the first time I have heard about that but I invite anyone with concrete examples of bias to come forward.

“It does not matter whether a person has a military background but if they are showing bias there is every reason to leave the organisation,” she said.

The MDC formations have in the past accused the ZEC secretariat of partiality because it is made up of some people who have worked in the security organisations.