ZIMBABWE ELECTION SUPPORT NETWORK
BIOMETRIC VOTER REGISTRATION UPDATE – NUMBER 5
Harare – 13 October 2017 - ZESN has deployed observers under the first phase of the
Biometric Voter Registration blitz and this update is based on reports received from all the
10 provinces where registration is currently taking place.
Intimidation of observers
Of concern to ZESN are numerous reports of accredited observers being intimidated for
observing the BVR process and in some instances being denied access to the centres by
ward councillors and alleged members of ZANU PF. For instance in Ward 6 Chipinge Central,
a ZESN observer was threatened and intimidated by the Ward councillor and his supporters
resulting in the centre being closed by the registration officials who felt the situation was
threatening to get out of hand. In Epworth Ward 2 at the Local Board, a physically
challenged ZESN observer was forced out of a registration center by a ZANU PF Ward
councillor. The Councillor insisted that observers should not be granted access into the
registration centre. Efforts to get registration officials to intervene were fruitless. Another
instance was reported in Ward 10 of Mwenezi West, where the ZESN observer was denied
access to a registration center by the registration officials, who insisted that in addition to
being accredited by the Commission, the observer needed additional clearance from the ZEC
district offices.
Challenges with voter registration
At most of the registration centres where ZESN observers were stationed the BVR
equipment functioned well, there were however reports of equipment failure at some of the
registration centres. For instance, in Chipinge East Ward 14 at Nyamadzi primary School the
laptop malfunctioned in the morning and had not been fixed by the end of day yesterday.
Reports from Ward 4 in Umzingwane district showed that registration officials faced
challenges in setting up the solar system to power the BVR equipment. In Ward 2 Gokwe
Kabuyuni, ZESN has received reports that VR1 forms have run out at Mareka Centre resulting
in potential registrants being told to go home and return to the centre tomorrow.
Commissioners of Oath
ZESN continued to observe that Commissioners of Oath were not present at most
registration centres. A registrant would need to look for a Commissioner of Oaths and pay