However complaints kept trickling in over the campaign, which has yet to be rolled out to all the wards in nationwide. Reports suggest many of the areas facing problems are believed to be MDC-T strongholds.
Analysts fear this could be a deliberate plot by the Registrar-General’s office to register as few people as possible from MDC-T strongholds, while in ZANU PF areas the system has been engineered to allow a rapid voter registration for a large number of people.
The date of the poll has not been announced yet, for an election seen as a crucial test to both President Robert Mugabe and his main challenger, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai.
Our correspondents in Harare and Bulawayo told us officials from the Registrar-General’s office told them registration is facing teething problems in the early stages of a massive 20-day operation to enfranchise the country’s millions of voters.
The major complaint about the registration exercise nationwide has been lack of publicity and information on the whereabouts of the centers where people can go and register.
In Manicaland the MDC-T provincial chairman, Julius Magarangoma, said there have been reports that some centres for registration have not opened at all.
In the Midlands South province, many people have failed to register after being asked by officials from the RG’s office to pay $10 to replace identification documents.
‘They are asking people to pay $10 when co-Home Affairs Minister Theresa Makone said it was going to be free of charge. Those without birth certificates are being asked to travel long distances to acquire them, something that is in contrast with the mobile registration exercise,’ Lillian Timvious, the MDC-T provincial chair said.
Simon Muchemwa in Harare told us registration has been slow in the capital and many people seem to be unaware the exercise has started.
‘There is little information on the exercise being disseminated by the state media. The Ministry of Home Affairs held a press conference last week at which they announced the removal of bottlenecks to allow the exercise to sail smoothly.
‘But it appears that directive has not been transmitted to staff in (Registrar-General) Tobaiwa Mudede’s office as they appear to be charging people for lost ID’s and making it extremely impossible for new voters to register,’ Muchemwa said.
In Bulawayo Lionel Saungweme said there is a deliberate attempt to disenfranchise some people for political reasons. He said while the RG’s office was more than happy to register members of the armed forces and ZANU PF supporters without any problems, it is proving difficult for those from the MDC-T to do the same.
‘Some would-be voters were reported to have given up waiting for the chance to register because they were being asked to produce documents that are difficult to get. Some residents in Bulawayo are accusing ZEC for poor planning or poor organization,’ Saungweme added.
Despite these initial challenges, the MDC-T hopes many people will heed their calls to visit the centres and register. Prime Minister Tsvangirai’s foreign policy advisor, Jameson Timba, took to Facebook to urge people to register.
‘No army can stop an idea whose time has come. The winds of change are blowing with increased ferocity in Zimbabwe. Register and vote for change in 2013,’ said Timba on his Facebook page. – SW Radio Africa
Post published in: News
every Zimbabwean has identity documents that are purely national and not partisan,so how do all these MDC-T supporters fail to register?Are they asked to identify themselves on the basis of their party allegiance or do they turn up at these registration points in their party regalia.For me this is really a great deal of nonsense.Zimbabweans must learn to tell the truth!! Lies have destroyed our country enough!!