January 2018 were asked to return on the following day for them to be registered as voters.
ZESN urges ZEC to ensure that all registration centres are adhering to the stipulated hours of
operation in order to allow for the registration of all potential voters. The sending away of
people before the closing hours is an unnecessary impediment to ensuring that all eligible
citizens are registered to vote.
Turnout
As of 20 January 2018, ZEC indicated that they have registered 5,009,075 voters since the
start of the BVR Blitz. Over the past 7 days, ZESN noted that turnout was generally high
across the country. Registration centres such as Harare Town House, Mabvuku-Tafara, and
Epworth Local Board recorded as high as more than 800 per day, 143 people on 19 January
and a total of 70 by 1430 hours on 20 January, and 92 by 1530 on 20 January, respectively.
Other centres such as Tsungubvi Community Hall in Mazowe District Ward 17 registered 276
in two days while Queen Elizabeth Primary School in Bulawayo Ward 23 registered 103
people on 23 January and Dunuza Primary School in Chiredzi Ward 18 registered 162 voters
on 24 January.
In addition to the regular updates that ZEC has been releasing on registration statistics ZESN
continues to urge the Commission to break the information into granular level to allow for
stakeholders to better understand the information. For instance the Commission needs to
organize the registration statistics into categories that include constituency, sex and age.
ZESN held roadshows that helped increase registrants turnout. For instance at a roadshow
held in Matabeleland South at Bulilima ZEC District Office, a total of 101 voters registered
while 63 registered at a roadshow in Bindura South Ward 10 at Manhenga growth point. The
areas were targeted because they experience low registration rates during the four phases
of the registration blitz.
Part of the people who registered at the roadshow held by ZESN at Manhenga growth point, in Bindura South Ward 10