The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) yesterday rolled out the new biometric voter registration (BVR) exercise at 63 centres countrywide amid a low turn out.
The registration is in preparation for next year’s harmonised elections. Registration centres opened as early as 7am, but people came in trickles. In Harare, as of 11am, only 18 people had registered, with a handful waiting to be served.
A tour by The Herald at Remembrance registration centre in Mbare, Harare, showed the process took long to complete (approximately 13 minutes) although ZEC officials said an average of four minutes.
People are allowed to register at any centre, but their details are transferred to their respective polling stations. For instance, zanu-pf secretary for Information and Publicity Cde Simon Khaya Moyo registered in Harare yesterday, but he will vote in Mangwe District, Matabeleland South, at Sanzukwi Primary School.
In an interview at the Remembrance registration centre, ZEC district elections officer Mr Taurai Gavi said: “We started our registration process smoothly this morning.
“By 7am, there was already a person who was waiting to be registered. We did not have any challenges. Our registration centre is fully equipped and we are ready. We are hoping that people will increase as the day progresses and it being the first day, we appreciate people are still trying to find their way to the registration centres but I certainly hope we will have more people.
“So far we have registered about 18 people.” Those without proof of residence were being asked to fill in affidavit forms that would be commissioned before registering.
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