production of the notoriously difficult-to-obtain national registration card 18 together with documentary proof of residence. The latter requirement is extremely difficult for the youth, lodgers and students at tertiary institutions. Registration often entails a patient wait in lengthy queues. d)The Voters’ Roll Inaccuracies in a voters’ roll are probably the key mechanism by which electoral fraud may take place. It allows for the stuffing of ballot boxes, the inflation of votes and the reallocation of votes in marginal constituencies. The voters’ roll in Zimbabwe has been unable to withstand constituency-based scrutiny 19 . The importance of the state of the voters’ roll to ZANU (PF) is perhaps indicated by the measures that have been undertaken to ensure that a nation-wide audit of the roll does not take place. Responding to complaints about the state of the voters’ roll, the Chair of the new Electoral Commission 20 , Justice Chiweshe, stated that the opposition has not indicated how an audit of the roll could take place21. The best that could be said of this statement is that it is disingenuous. Since the voters’ roll is computerized, the obvious method of conducting an audit is by computer analysis. Private-sector data consultants say they have the software in place to check for duplications to audit the roll electronically within 48 hours of receiving the two CD-Roms held by the Registrar-General containing the roll 22 .The Registrar-General has refused to supply the opposition with an electronic copy of the voters’ roll, simply on the basis that he has no legal obligation to do so. A legal action brought by the MDC to obtain the roll in this form failed. As a result, the opposition has had to pursue slower and more painstaking methods of uncovering discrepancies in the roll. When an MDC 18 The issuance of which has been suspended on occasion by the Registrar-General – see The 2002 Presidential Elections and Civic Organizations in Zimbabwe – A Report for the Netherlands Institute for Southern Africa May 2002 (the Netherlands Report p.13) 19 Makumbe and Compagnon (Makumbe and Compagnon, “Behind the Smokescreen” 69-70) suggest that at least 41% of the names on the roll were inaccurate. Irregularities led to the entire election being condemned as ‘free but unfair’ by internal observers. Electoral rolls were particularly flawed in the contested municipal elections of 1996. Priscilla Misihairabwi, an NGO activist who sought to contest the urban council elections as an Independent Candidate, compiled such a convincing dossier of fraudulent voter registrations in Harare’s Avenues district (including vacant lots with hundreds of registered voters) that ZANU (PF) sought to force her out — with the Registrar-General, Tobaiwa Mudede, declaring her candidacy invalid. (Rich’s research notes, Supreme Court of Zimbabwe 21 July 1997; Interview by Rich with Priscilla Misihairambwi, 18 June 1997; “Court rules Misihairabwi had right to contest poll” The Herald 8 August 1997, 1, 17) Similarly, Fidelis Mhashu, the former ZANU (PF) municipal councillor, who contested the Chitungwiza mayoral election as an independent candidate after failing to get selected as the official ZANU (PF) candidate, convinced the High Court that the Chitungwiza electoral roll — comprised only of home-owners, although most residents were renting accommodation — “was so defective that it cannot be said that the electoral process was itself not flawed.” Fidelis George Mhashu v. Tichakunda Chiroodza & Chitungwiza Town Council & Andrew Jiri & ZANU (PF) & Minister of Local Government, Rural and Urban Development High Court Judgement HH- 43- 97; Interview Fidelis Mhashu, 17 June 1997) 20 See below for the details of this Commission 21 The Herald 24/03/05 22 See Kubatana.com Archive – “How will Zanu (PF) Cheat?” 9