Turnout
Whereas turnout sharply increased at
some centres in Phase 3, turnout was
generally low at most centres across the
country. At Town House in Harare Central,
turnout skyrocketed from a total of 51
person that registered on 25 November to
542, 622, 815, and 883 on 27, 28, 29, and 30
November respectively. The sharp increase
persons registering can also be partly
attributed to the fact the days indicated
above conceded with the days police
officers were granted leave form their
workplaces to enable them to register. In
Kwekwe at Amaveni Hall; Main Bus Terminus in Ward 6; Fitchlea Primary School; Kushinga Primary
School; and Redcliff Golf Club in Redcliff, turnout sharply increased on the final day of phase 3
resulting in voter registration extending into the night. By contrast, centres such as Manyotswa
Primary School in Seke ward 15, Landas Shops in Marondera West ward 14, Mupfurudzi Primary
School in Shamwa North, and several centres in Mashonaland West generally showed signs of
inactivity particularly on the last two days of Phase 3.
Intimidation during voter registration
As reported in previous updates, ZESN continues to receive reports of intimidation of registrants by
political actors, whereby registrations are asked to bring their registration slips to have their serial
numbers. Some political actors are threatening voters with unspecified action if they vote for the
opposition in 2018. The political actors claim they have the ability to track voting preferences of
individual voters.
Aliens’ registration
In a landmark ruling on the 29th of November, the High Court of Zimbabwe ruled that people with
Identity Cards labeling them as aliens should be allowed to vote by the ZEC. However, at all
registration centers visited in Mashonaland West and Masvingo provinces, on the last two days of
Phase 3 (30 November and 01 December), ZESN observed that ‘aliens’ were still being turned away
without registering because registration officers were waiting for the relevant instructions from
ZEC. ZESN therefore urges the ZEC to promptly provide the necessary clarity about the new status
of the so called aliens. Such clarity needs to be mainstreamed into future registration efforts.
Anomalies with voter registration centres
The ZESN observers in Mashonaland West reported that some centres marked for Phase 4 were set
up for registration 18 days before they were scheduled to start registering. According to the