Tagwireyi clashed with officials at the Marondera RG offices last week Tuesday after he was denied official transfer to a new voting ward. He relocated from Marondera Urban ward 5 to ward 3.
“I was disappointed and angered by the way the RG’s office complicated a simple issue. RG officials refused to recognise a letter signed by an elected councillor as confirmation that I had relocated to his ward. They said a councillor’s letter was not acceptable as proof of residence.
“Surprisingly, previous Zanu (PF) ward councillors’ letters were accepted during past election processes as proof of residence. This is clear shifting of goal posts by a desperate partisan office,” said Tagwireyi.
Tagwireyi said councillors in rural areas controlled by Zanu (PF) would sign letters as proof of residence for voter registration purposes. “An arrangement refused by the RG’s office in urban areas under MDC,” he added.
RG officials told him they only accepted a letter from an employer, landlord or traditional leadership as proof of residence. His request was only accepted after presenting a letter of confirmation from his employer, Marondera Urban Council.
Tagwireyi said several youths were turned away by the RG’s office for lack of proper proof of residence. “How can an unemployed youth produce a letter of employment or a partisan headman signed letter as proof of residence before registering as a voter?”
An NGO focusing on peace building and voter education, Centre for community Development Zimbabwe (CCDZ) said: “We continue to receive disturbing reports that some traditional leaders are denying suspected MDC youths proof of residence letters for political reasons.”
CCDZ director, Philip Pasirayi, told The Zimbabwean: “There are reports that youths continue to face challenges securing proof of residence from headmen. For an election to be acceptable and recognised by Zimbabweans, regional countries and the international community, no-one should be disenfranchised.”
Efforts to get a comment from The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission were fruitless.
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