The strategy is in response to fears that rural areas might be sealed off to civil society activity around the election time.
CCDZ is organising villagers into Local Mobilising Committees that will do the work of civil organisations in the event that they are banned. To complement current CSO efforts, LMCs will be responsible for urging voters to come out in their numbers and cast their ballot in the coming election.
“CCDZ is educating villagers about aspects of human rights monitoring at election time. Empirical evidence gathered will empower regional lobby groups to take informed decisions and action about the humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe,” CCDZ director Philip Pasirayi told The Zimbabwean.
CCDZ is also conducting massive voter mobilisation programmes through dialogue and road shows to disseminate information to the public in Mashonaland, Masvingo and Midlands provinces.
The campaign programmes are targeted at the grassroots where people struggle to access independent sources of information.
“We want people to be well informed ahead of elections and promote participation of non-partisan independent media in the electoral process. At present people are exposed to state media propaganda which is not healthy to the electorate,” said Pasirayi.
In the past Zanu (PF) and state partisan security organs barred civil society and independent news organisations from accessing rural areas in the run up to elections.
Post published in: News