US$4m released for voter registration

co-Minister Kembo Mohadi said yesterday.The exercise, which started last week, has been allocated US$8 million by Treasury.
In an interview, Minister Mohadi however, expressed concern over the slow pace of the exercise, a development, which he largely attributed to lack of resources.

“l am not happy with what is obtaining on the ground as far as the ongoing mobile voter registration is concerned,” he said.

“Treasury has since released US$4 million, which is not adequate. In fact that money will not enable us to cover enough ground and we might consider an extension.”

Minister Mohadi said the main aim of the mobile voter registration drive was to reach out to communities in remote areas, which are difficult to access.

“The major challenge that we are having is that we have one mobile unit per administrative district yet there are many centres in a single district. We need at least two mobile units per administrative district to cover enough ground,” he said.

The mobile voter registration exercise is expected to take the registration personnel to where the people are countrywide.

Minister Mohadi said the mobile registration is being taken to ward, constituency and district levels so that everyone eligible to vote would have access to exercise their constitutional right of casting their vote in the forthcoming plebiscite.

Mobile registration teams in Bulawayo are visiting each of the city’s 29 wards.
Today they will be in Ward 9 and 12 at Mpopoma Hall and Lobengula Primary School.

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Tomorrow, Ward 18 residents will be able to register at Magwegwe Hall while the exercise would be carried out in Ward 11 at Emakhandeni Secondary School.

Ward 14 and 15 residents will be able to register on Friday at Inkanyezi Primary School and Luveve Beit Hall.

When our bureau visited Lotshe Primary School in Ward 7, there were scores of people queuing to register.

Residents started trickling as early as 7am and by mid-morning, they had formed long winding queues.

However, those who did not have the required documents were turned away.
The documents included national identity cards, proof of residence and birth certificates.

One of the residents, Ms Nomalanga Dube, who was in possession of a photocopied identity card, after losing the original one, said she was advised to get a new document.

“I came early at around 10am carrying a photocopied ID after losing the original one. The officials photographed me and told me that the new identity card would be ready for collection after one week,” she said.

Another resident, Mr Mandla Ndlovu, who is based in South Africa, was also turned away for failing to produce proof of residence.
The mobile voter registration exercise started on April 29 and will end on May 19.