Government approves budget for IDs blitz

Source: Government approves budget for IDs blitz | The Sunday News

Cde Ruth Maboyi

Sunday News Reporter
THE Government has approved a budget to embark on a national identity acquiring blitz across the country as part of efforts to enable citizens to get the documents so that they will be able to register for next year’s harmonised elections.

The country will hold its harmonised (General and Presidential) elections next year and the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has already started a voter registration blitz targeting mainly first time voters.

However, it has emerged that some were not registering because they did not have ID cards. Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Deputy Minister Cde Ruth Mavunga Maboyi told Sunday News yesterday that the budget has been approved and the blitz will start soon.

“In fact the budget has been approved and all what is left is for us to start the ID blitz,” she said, although she could not reveal how much has been set aside for the exercise.

Cde Maboyi said while ZEC had already gone ahead and launched its voter registration exercise, more people were likely going to register after the national identity acquiring blitz.

“We will embark on a massive exercise to ensure that our people get IDs to allow them to register and to get other necessary documents.”

Reports have indicated that although ZEC has started the registration exercise turnout has remained low.

“As a Ministry we just want to ensure that people have the right documents to allow them to exercise their constitutional right to vote.

We are not doing this for any political party or so that they can vote for particular candidates but so that they can be able to vote for candidates of their choice,” she said.

ZEC is in the middle of the mobile voter registration exercise which is also meant to determine the constituency delimitation exercise.

ZEC said the first phase started on 1 February and will end on 28 February while the second one will be from 11 to 30 April.