Source: ZimRights, ERC intensify voter mobilisation – DailyNews Live
Maxwell Sibanda, ASSISTANT EDITOR 17 October 2017
HARARE – Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights), Election Resource
Centre (ERC) and several civic organisations, drew thousands of people as
they launched a national campaign of roadshows to urge people to register
as voters.
The launch was held at Chigovanyika Shopping Centre in Chitungwiza on
Saturday, October 14.
The organisations have produced voter education material such as T-shirts,
caps and fliers as well as enlisted the services of 10 branded lorries
that will be used in the outreach to the provinces, which commences on
October 16.
Several artists and entertainment acts have been lined up for the
roadshows which are set to light up many parts of the country, including
remote areas starved of information.
Civil society organisations are leaving little to chance as they work to
ensure that Zimbabweans turn out in large numbers to register to vote
ahead of the 2018 elections.
Yesterday, ZimRights staff distributed voter education brochures to
motorists and public transport commuters during the rush hour at the
traffic lights at the intersection of Samora Machel Avenue – Harare’s
busiest road – and Rotten row.
The mobile voter education and mobilisation event on Saturday was graced
by dancehall artistes, Soul Musaka, also known as Soul Jah Love, Guspy
Warrior, and Mombokadzi dance group.
The event happened under ZimRights’ #10×10 campaign which encourages each
person to mobilise 10 others to register and the ERC’s
#RegisterElectEngage campaign, which urges citizens to participate in the
entire electoral cycle.
At the venue, prospective registrants were taught about the biometric
voter registration (BVR), the requirements needed for one to register to
vote, and those wanting proof of residence through the affidavits were
assisted by commissioners of oaths at the civil society booth.
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) voter educators with their
identification bibs provided voter education to the bumper crowd of people
gathered, who represented all age groups and social strata.
Near to the venue of the roadshow was a Zec biometric blitz voter
registration centre, where many people flocked to register.
The programme was also aired live on radio, giving thousands of people,
who could not attend the event, a chance to benefit from the voter
education and mobilisation.
The campaign will see the deployment of 10 huge branded trucks and mobile
roadshow teams to the different provinces.
The trucks branded with the message, “We register, We vote, We influence
Tese/Sonke” will be used in public education activities that will cover
many parts of the country.
ZimRights director Okay Machisa said: “The mobile roadshows form part of
the broader joint ERC and ZimRights initiative to raise interest in the
current BVR process by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission and encourage
citizens to vote in the 2018 harmonised elections.
“Informational material such as T-shirts, caps, berrets, bandanas and
fliers will be distributed.
“The initiative will also educate potential eligible registrants on key
elements of voter registration as the civic groups compliment work already
being done by Zec’s voter education teams,’ said Machisa.
He added that since the roadshow teams will include accredited observers,
the mobilisation and public education campaign will also serve as a mobile
BVR observation process countrywide.
In a related development, ZimRights in collaboration with Berina Arts and
Youth Alliance for Democracy (YAD) conducted a training of 49 BVR monitors
and voter registration mobilisers of which 26 were women in Kadoma on
October 10.
The majority of the trainees, 45 participants were youth, who were
encouraged to be drivers of voter registration mobilisation under the
#10×10 campaign where they reside.
The training brought close to five hundred the monitors and voter
registration mobilisers ZimRights and ERC have trained across the country.
The training taught issues to do with human rights and outlined the voter
registration process, what citizens need to register, where and when the
process will take place and what should transpire
“The ERC in partnership with ZimRights is assessing the ongoing voter
registration process as part of efforts to contribute towards improvement
in the conduct of electoral processes in the country.
“The registration blitz is separated into four phases, each phase running
for 16 days each, whilse the whole registration blitz shall last 72 days,”
said Machisa.
ERC and ZimRights deployed monitors in Zimbabwe’s 63 districts observing
the legislative, administrative and environment surrounding the voter
registration process.
Further, the organisations established a call centre aimed at soliciting
feedback from citizens across the country whilst also disseminating
election related information as and when requested. The two organizations
seek to mobilise for citizen participation and provide oversight to ensure
compliance of the voter registration process with voter registration
principles that include inclusiveness, comprehensiveness, transparency,
credibility and an informed public.
. . . as volunteer lawyers act as commissioners of oaths
ELECTION Resource Centre (ERC) in collaboration with the Zimbabwe Human
Rights Association (ZimRights), have started to mobilise volunteer
lawyers, who are deployed at various centres to assist potential
registrants, who are in need of commissioners of oaths to sign their VR.9
forms for them to register to vote.
The two organisations act on the alerts that they receive from citizens
through a call centre they established recently.
The ERC executive director, Tawanda Chimhini, said the two organisations
through the call centers receive a daily average of 266 messages on
Twitter, 25 calls a day, 85 WhatsApp messages and 43 text messages.
Chimhini said voter registration exercise should be comprehensive and
accessible.
“Accessibility of the process must not be limited,” said Chimhini adding
that “Zec must allocate commissioners of oaths at some registration
centres to assist the potential registrants.”
Human Rights lawyer, Jacob Mafume, who was deployed at the Remembrance
district centre in Mbare, appealed to other lawyers to assist to help
citizens register to vote.
“We need all hands on deck, a simple thing like a commissioner can make
this whole process unworkable,” Mafume said adding “We either drop the
need for a commissioner to prove proof of residence and simply make it an
offence to provide false information.”
Mafume vowed to assist whenever there is need.
“But I and other lawyers stand ready to assist all and sundry to allow
them to register,” Mafume said.
Since the commencement of the ongoing biometric voter registration (BVR)
process in September a number of challenges have emerged thwarting a
smooth registration of potential registrants chief among them the shortage
of VR.1 and VR.9 forms and the shortage of commissioner of oaths at some
registration centres.
Another lawyer, Simon Chabuka of the Magaya/Mandizvidza Legal
Practitioners, on Wednesday assisted 40 potential registrants at
Tangenhamo Primary School.
“Today I was here in Chitungwiza assisting citizens by signing their VR.9
forms. At times people end up going back home without registering to
vote. Zec should avail commissioners of oaths at centres,” Chabuka said.
For the past two weeks ERC and ZimRights have been receiving an average of
22 calls a day with people appealing for assistance especially on the
issue of commissioner of oaths and the shortage of VR.1 and VR.9 forms and
other isolated cases of villagers complaining of village heads refusing to
stamp proof of residence letters while some reported being asked to pay
for the service.
The two organisations will this Saturday launch a national voter
registration campaign in Chitungwiza at Chigovanyika shops in an effort to
mobilise citizens to register to vote.
In an effort to provide modern and transparent voter registration system,
Zec proposed the introduction of biometric voter registration (BVR) system
to be used during the general elections pencilled for 2018. The BVR
systems are part of the measures that are being taken to ensure fair and
credible elections in a country with a history of disputed elections.
The ERC insisted on the relaxation of proof of residence requirements as
it impedes accessibility of voter registration by potential registrants.
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