Some registered voters including opposition legislators say their names are missing from the voters’ roll.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) started a voters’ roll inspection exercise on Saturday and since then, some registered voters who checked their documents to ensure that their details are in order were shocked to find their names missing.
The voters’ roll inspection ends on 31 May but ZEC Chief Elections Officer Utloile Silaigwana on Saturday said ZEC may consider allowing voters in areas where inspection centres were anticipated to start operating late to inspect the voters’ roll on 01 June.
Bulawayo Central proportional representation Member of Parliament Jasmine Toffa (CCC) told NewsDay that her name is missing on the voters’ roll. She said:
Two weeks ago, I dialled *265# to check my name and it reflected. I took a screenshot and kept it.
Yesterday I decided to check again and I saw that my name was no longer there. I went to do a physical check and my name was not there.
I found a number of people queuing there who had the same challenges. ZEC officials said they are facing technical difficulties, and I don’t understand how something that is on the computer does not print out on a hard copy.
Another Bulawayo proportional representation MP Nicola Watson said her name was missing. She said:
Bulawayo councillor Edwin Ndlovu’s name was also missing. This is unacceptable as the magnitude of error is extremely high. Most people don’t even know where to check their names.
Prominent Bulawayo-based journalist Zenzele Ndebele also said he could not locate his name in the voters’ roll. He tweeted:
I have checked my name and can confirm that it is not on the voters’ roll. And the four guys who came when I was there were also not on the voters’ roll.
Contacted for comment by NewsDay, ZEC chief elections Officer Utoile Silaigwana said:
What I want you to understand is that the purpose of the inspection of the voters’ roll is to check if ever there are mistakes in terms of names etc, then if there is a query then that query should be registered so that it can be corrected.
Meanwhile, voter registration is ongoing at the usual centres across the country. The voters’ roll will be closed for registration two days after President Emmerson Mnangagwa has proclaimed the election date.
More: Pindula News