Online Reporter
Sikhumbuzo Moyo [email protected]
THE handover of voter registration and voters’ roll management functions from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to the Civil Registry Department must be completed expeditiously without compromising accuracy, a senior Government official has said.
Deputy Chief Secretary in the Office of the President and Cabinet, Mr Zvinechimwe Ruvinga Churu, said the transition required precision, diligence and professionalism from both institutions.
Mr Churu was represented by the Permanent Secretary in the Bulawayo Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution’s office, Mr Paul Nyoni, during an orientation workshop on the handover process held at a Bulawayo hotel yesterday.
The workshop was attended by Registrar-General Mr Henry Machiri, Deputy Registrar-General Mr Ben Mpala, ZEC Chief Elections Officer Dr Simbarashe Tongayi and their respective teams from the Southern Region.
Mr Churu said the transition was taking place at a critical time as the country prepares for electoral processes, including pending ward by-elections in Matabeleland North and Bulawayo.
“In this regard, I wish to underscore the critical importance of conducting this transition both expeditiously and meticulously. The speed of this transition is important. We operate in an environment where our nation is preparing for electoral processes,” he said.
He warned that delays could create a vacuum and potentially undermine public confidence in the electoral calendar and preparations for upcoming polls.
“I understand that there are ward by-elections that are pending in Mat North and Bulawayo provinces, and it is essential that the transfer does not stall the machinery of democracy,” said Mr Churu.
“A prolonged or lethargic transition risks creating a vacuum, which could inadvertently undermine public confidence in the electoral calendar and the preparatory activities that must occur.”
He said the process should be concluded within the shortest possible timeframe to ensure that continuous voter registration was not disrupted.
“Our citizens must not be made to wait. Voter registration must continue seamlessly as a live and ongoing process under the stewardship of the Registrar-General,” he said.
However, Mr Churu cautioned that the need for speed should not compromise the quality and accuracy of the information being transferred.
He said every record, file, dataset and piece of physical or electronic infrastructure handed over by ZEC must be properly accounted for.
“Voter registration is a sensitive and foundational function of our democracy. Therefore, every single record, every file, every bit of data and every piece of physical or electronic infrastructure that is handed over must be accounted for with the highest degree of exactitude,” he said.
Mr Churu urged technical teams from ZEC and the Civil Registry Department to work together in auditing, verifying and preserving voters’ roll data.
He stressed the importance of maintaining the integrity, security and confidentiality of all records throughout the transition.
He also called on the two institutions to approach the process with openness, mutual respect and transparency.
“We do not anticipate challenges, but where they arise, we expect them to be resolved speedily through the established inter-agency processes,” he said.
Mr Churu said Government remained confident in the professional competence of the teams involved and expected the handover to provide a model of effective inter-institutional collaboration.
