adminVEG is a culmination of a voter education process that began in August 2011 with the design of a more sustained voter education programme and development of requisite voter education materials including a 56page draft VEG in consultation with stakeholders.
ZEC chief elections officer Mr Lovemore Sekeramayi said VEG will be piloted in two provinces.
“From Monday 4 June (today) to Friday 8 June, the commission will be pilot testing the voter education guide to assess its content, sustainability and readability in two provinces, namely, Manicaland and Matabeleland South, targeting both urban and rural informants in each province,” he said.
“In addition, political parties and civil society groups that were engaged in the technical production of the VEG will be targeted as other pilot testing groups.”
Mr Sekeramayi said after completion, the guide will be translated into isiNdebele and Shona by the end of this month and then applied in voter education.
“The guide is the source for production of a variety of voter education fliers, posters, pamphlets, billboards and jingles which will be translated into all the indigenous languages in Zimbabwe, to facilitate accessibility,” he said.
Mr Sekeramayi also urged citizens of voting age to register as voters as the process is ongoing.
“The public is also urged to facilitate the updating of the voters roll by registering deaths”.
Zimbabwe faces a possible election this year to end the life of the shaky coalition government that the three major political parties in the country entered into in 2009.
The constitution-making process, which started over two years ago and is yet to reach its conclusion, has delayed the elections resulting in Zanu-PF calling for polls using the old constitution while the other coalition partners insist otherwise.
The Sadc Troika on Defence, Politics and Security Cooperation which met in Angola last week said elections in Zimbabwe should be held within the next 12 months.
Formations of the MDC have been insisting that the elections should be held after the full implementation of all the agreed reforms.
However, President Mugabe has made it clear that the elections should be held this year because the inclusive Government no longer has the mandate to continue governing the country. — New Ziana/Herald Reporter.
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