Figure 2 Voters waiting for the arrival of voting materials in Hatfield, Harare Metropolitan Province
Moreover, such delays and changes negatively impacted on the electorate which was
eagerly waiting to cast a vote. For example, some women had surrendered working
on their chores for the day, travelled long distances to the polling stations in order to
cast their votes early in anticipation of returning home on time. Nursing mothers and
their babies as well as children accompanying their guardians were also affected as
the children complained of hunger, in the midst of voting delays. Some members of
the electorate in Ushewokunze Constituency indicated that they had not taken their
medication and were torn between either returning home, or sacrificing the day’s
medication and wait to cast their vote.
Therefore, in most constituencies, voting was postponed to the following day due to
the delay in arrival of voting material. In addition the long distances travelled by
electorate made them reconsider on whether they would return to cast their vote the
following day. Thus, infringing some of the voters’ right to vote since the following day
was a working day and they could not be available for the election.
4.5. Missing Names in the Voters Roll.
In Constituencies such as in Harare Urban, Mutare Central, Kwekwe Central, Chiredzi
and Masvingo Urban, voters’ names were either missing from the cell register or
voters’ roll. ln Chiredzi and Mutare Central Constituency, some cell registers were
missing. In areas such as Hatcliffe polling station, people were informed that if their
names did not appear on the voters’ roll even though the names were appearing in
the cell register, one would not be allowed to vote. However, in Glenview Constituency,
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