Chronicle Editor
Walter Mswazie, Masvingo Correspondent
MASVINGO residents have urged the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to scrap the requirement for proof of residence for one to register as a voter saying most people were failing to register.
Masvingo Residents Trust co-ordinator Mr Prosper Tiringindi said they were advocating for the scrapping of the requirement.
He said most of their members have complained that the process of getting a signed affidavit is proving to be cumbersome.
“Our members are complaining that the process of obtaining this proof of residence is cumbersome for those who do not own houses. It is taking too long for one to have an affidavit and get it certified.
“Sometimes the commissioner of oaths won’t be around the registration centre and that means one would have to walk some distance to get his affidavit certified by a lawyer. We feel it is an unnecessary requirement,” he said.
“This will obviously put off people and some will leave without registering. We call upon ZEC to address this issue as we feel it compromises our rights as residents to register to vote.”
ZEC Masvingo provincial election officer Mr Zex Zirabada Pudurayi confirmed the challenges faced by those seeking proof of residence but said the situation is being exaggerated as lawyers and councillors were providing the commissioner of oaths services for free without any problem.
“While I confirm that there could be some challenges faced in cases where the lawyers are not readily available, those seeking such documents are assisted without having to pay anything. As I am talking to you now I am seeing residents holding certified affidavits,” said Mr Pudurayi.
“As ZEC we are however, waiting for the certification of all our supervisors to become commissioners of oaths so that we will not have these reported hiccups. However, proof of residence remains an important requirement for one to register under BVR.”
He said by and large the programme is moving smoothly in Masvingo although it started at a slow pace.
The BVR exercise entered into the second phase on Sunday with over 200 000 people having been registered in Masvingo province and over one million voters having been registered throughout the country.
Online Reporter