THE Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has availed a copy of the ballot paper with a photograph
after an aspiring opposition legislator protested against a defective ballot paper which the elections
management body had prepared to be used during the elections scheduled for Monday 30 July 2018.
Livingstone Dhlumo, an aspiring opposition legislator who is contesting to be a Member of Parliament
for Chipinge Central constituency filed an urgent chamber application in the Electoral Court on Friday
27 July 2018 seeking an order to compel ZEC to reprint the ballot paper for Chipinge Central
constituency with his picture appearing on it.
Dhlumo, who was represented by David Tandiri and Blessing Nyamaropa of Zimbabwe Lawyers for
Human Rights, had protested that ZEC had printed a ballot paper which is not in compliance with the
provisions of section 57 of the Electoral Act and section 3 of the Electoral Regulations as his face was
not appearing on the ballot paper.
Dhlumo indicated that he made the discovery on Thursday 26 July 2018, when he together with other
aspiring legislators were requested by the Chipinge District Elections Officer to inspect the ballot
papers.
The aspiring legislator charged that he noted that the photograph which appeared on the ballot paper is
not his and it was also blurred making it difficult to recognise the person appearing on the photograph.
This compelled Dhlumo to file an urgent chamber application in the Electoral Court seeking to rectify
the anomaly, which he charged prejudiced him and violated section 57 of the Electoral Act and section
3 of the Electoral Regulations.
On Sunday 29 July 2018, Dhlumo’s lawyers withdrew the urgent chamber application after ZEC
regularised the anomaly by availing a ballot paper showing Dhlumo’s passport size photograph and
which will be used during the elections scheduled for Monday 30 July 2018.