According to the Constitution of Zimbabwe, voter registration should be an on-going process, becoming more pronounced during election periods. The law requires that only citizens are eligible to vote, and those registering must provide a national identity card and proof of residence.
But an analysis by The Zimbabwean has exposed contentious issues around the registration process – with potential voters being turned away for various reasons. The Zimbabwe Election Support Network, a coalition of 31 NGOs formed in 2000 to coordinate election activities, confirmed this.
“Proof of residence has proved to be a major hurdle for those applying for registration, with the most affected being youths and women. Tenants also battle if their landlord is of a different political persuasion. In the rural areas, traditional leaders vouch for those wishing to register by writing a letter and those perceived to support a different political party can be denied registration,” said ZESN director, Rindai Vava.
She said it was imperative for the country to ensure voter registration was transparent and accessible to all.
The director of the Election Resource Centre, Tawanda Chimhini, said the many hindrances had caused people to lose interest in trying to register.
“In the rural areas for example, people are being asked why they want to register to vote. This is quite a sensitive issue that they cannot answer. Also, some of the personnel at the registration centres are not adequately trained and they interrogate people unnecessarily,” said Chimhini.
Fears of violence and victimization have made it impossible for groups wishing to conduct voter education programmes to convene meetings with villagers, he said, resulting in the number of people who have registered to vote in both rural and urban areas being “really insignificant”.
“Registration centres need to be closer to the people because in some areas like Buhera, people have to part with something like $10 to go and register. Very few people are able to afford this,” he added.
MDC-T spokesperson Douglas Mwonzora said his party was considering taking legal action against the continued turning away of people, particularly the youth at registration centres.
“Last week we had 21 people turned away in Nyanga at the Nyamaropa registration centre, with the authorities there saying they had not started registering. But the constitution says that voter registration is an on-going exercise,” said Mwonzora, adding that his party has been receiving similar complaints around the country.
MDC-N director for elections, Ellen Shiriyedenga, concurred. “We have people who have failed to register for over two months now and as we approach the next election, we fear that people who are eligible to vote will not be able to exercise their democratic right.”
The Zimbabwe Youth Forum, a non-governmental organisation which promotes youth participation in national processes, said bureaucracy at voter registration centres around the country was frustrating young people wishing to register.
“Also we have faced challenges in our campaigns to urge people to register to vote because of the political dynamics in rural areas. Anything around voting has been heavily politicized and people are shunning some of the programmes for fear of victimisation” said ZYF National Coordinator, Wellington Zindove.
“We have also observed that some young people are going to register to vote only for them to be told they are aliens. Yet they were born here,” he added.
A disgruntled youth, Shine Kurebwa, told The Zimbabwean: “I went with an affidavit confirming my proof of residence only to be told that I should bring a written letter. Some of my colleagues were turned away when they brought the letters and were told to bring a hospital bill or an account from a big store.”
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission Deputy Chairperson, Joyce Kazembe, said that they did not find fault with “the few reported cases of voters being turned away”.
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