Mthwakazi Republic Party (MRP) has called for more voter registration centres in Nkayi South noting that villagers have to travel long distances to the nearest registration centre.
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) is currently carrying out its final voter registration blitz ahead of the 2023 elections which commenced on Sunday 12 March and will end on 21 March 2022.
Nkayi South has 18 voter registration centres in wards 13, 24, 16 17, 19 10, 21, 22, 23, 24 (2), 25 (2), 27, 28, 29 and 30 (2).
These centres are in Singwangombe Primary school, Simbo secondary school, Dakamela secondary school, Tohwe secondary school, Nkayi primary school, Hadane secondary school, Guwe secondary school, Mpumelelo secondary school, Fudu primary school, Zwelabo secondary school, Lutsha primary school, Dlawa primary school, Singeni primary school, Mkalathi primary school, Gonye primary school, Nkayi high school, St Thomas primary school and Hompane primary school.
MRP aspiring Member of Parliament for Nkayi South, Thembisani Mfulongatshi Mpofu said the available centres cannot adequately cater for all the wards.
“It is not fair for such huge wards to have one registration centre. In Ward 14 for instance, they are stationed at Simbo secondary school, surrounding villages such as Gampakalala, Matshena which are expected to use the same registration centre are very far, about 10kms away,” said Mpofu.
He said ZEC was supposed to put at least two registration centres in these wards to shorten the distance travelled by villagers.
“That strategy is going to help many people register to vote on that side. In ward 15, there is Sagonda only, villagers from Skopo, Malinga, Dalutsha are more than 15 km away. I even think they made a mistake to put ward 15 under the Nkayi North List.
“In ward 24 they put two schools which are near each other while the other side of the ward Majaha and Petane are very far places in Gwamba valley, it is hard to access the centre and it’s a bushy area with wild elephants, its risky accessing the centre,” he lamented.
He added that the long distances to voter registration centres are a disadvantage to villagers with special needs.
“There are people with disabilities, pregnant women, those who are sick, and the elderly, it will be difficult for these groups to register to vote,” he said.
He said ZEC was expected to go around all polling stations registering people to vote so that villagers can register in their numbers.
“We are however encouraging villagers to go and register to vote in their numbers,” said Mpofu.
