ZEC registers 140 000 in phase two
THE Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) registered 147 289 people in the second phase of the Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) blitz - bringing the number of registered voters for the 2018 elections in Manicaland to about 312 213.
The second phase covered Nyanga, Mutasa and Mutare North started on October 29 and end last Monday.
Provincial Elections Officer for Manicaland Mr Moffat Masabeya told The Manica Post on Wednesday that Mutare North registered 32 789 people, 14 823 males and 17 966 females.
Mutasa, which has three constituencies - namely Mutasa South, Mutasa Central and Mutasa North, registered 59 216 potential voters, 33 106 females and 26 110 males.
Nyanga - which has two constituencies - Nyanga North and Nyanga South registered 49 232 potential voters - 21 017 males and 28 215 females.
Those who missed the BVR registration blitz can still register at static reg- istration centres at ZEC district offices.
“All in all we registered 147 289 people under the phase two which ended on November 13, 2017. Phase three opens on Thursday (yesterday) covering Makoni, which has five constituencies, Makoni North, Makoni Central, Makoni West, Makoni South and Headlands as well as two constituencies in Buhera - Buhera North and West until December 1, 2017,” said Mr Masabeya.
Mr Masabeya said ZEC has appointed 48 new commissioners of oath in Makoni and 19 in Buhera to occasion swift issuance of proof of residence.
“We have dealt with the issue of traditional leaders who were illegally demanding payment to process proof of residence through the offices of the Provincial Administrator and District Administrators. Over and above that ZEC supervisors are now commissioners of oath, and in Buhera we have 19, in Makoni rural we have 46 and two in Makoni urban to lessen the burden of proof of residence,” said Mr Masabeya.
“We are happy with the turn-out and we continue to encourage people to take advantage of the registration blitz. Voter education started last week and phase three of the registration blitz runs from November 16 to December 1, targeting Makoni District and Buhera North and West constituencies. The fourth phase starts from December 4 to December 19, targeting the remainder of Mutare and Buhera districts,” said Mr Masabeya.
Manicaland, according to the 2014 national census results, has 912 762 potential voters, and ZEC was targeting to register at least 80 percent.
Mr Masabeya said both voter education and registration blitz were staggered into phases and when the second phase of registration blitz ends, voter education officers would then go on the ground a week earlier before the BVR operators for the third phase.
Mr Masabeya said Manicaland had 345 BVR kits and ZEC had recruited enough personnel to handle the BVR kits. Mr Masabeya said Manicaland had 1 321 registration centres whose distribution hinges on the size of the district, constituency and ward.