7
HH 307-18
HC 4863/18
the opportunity to transfer their registrations to polling stations within their new residences where
such registrants had between the date of registration and inspection, changed residences. The
statement encouraged the electorate with any relatives registered as voters who had since passed
on, to bring death certificates to the inspection centres so that the deceased’s names could be
deleted from the roll. The respondent in the statement acknowledged that the Provisional Voters
Roll would without doubt contain errors. The respondent encouraged the members of the public to
take a keen interest in the exercise to avoid disappointments when polling day came. I envisage
such disappointment being manifested in the failure to vote by an intending voter because of
anomalies in data captured relative to the particular voter as captured in the Final Voters Roll
where there variances in details. The respondent encouraged people intending to be registered as
voters to visit any of the 63 district and 10 provincial offices to register as voters. The applicant
further provided toll free numbers for the public to access it for information and clarifications.
The applicant responded to the statement by generating a letter to the applicant. The letter
was not dated. It was however received by the respondent on 3 May 2018. The contents of the
letter are self-explanatory. For the avoidance of doubt and for posterity, I reproduce the letter by
the applicant. It reads as follows:
“The chairperson
Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC)
Mahachi Quantum Building
1 Nelson Mandela Avenue
Harare
Dear Justice Priscilla Chigumba
RE: REQUEST FOR A PROVISIONAL VOTER’S ROLL
The Election Resource Centre (ERC) notes and welcomes the announcement by the Zimbabwe
Electoral Commission (ZEC) that a provisional voter’s roll will be made available for inspection
to the public from the 19th of May 2018. It is fully appreciated that the provisional voter’s roll that
will be availed for inspection will contain some errors and the intention of the inspection process
is to assist in the finalization of a voter’s roll with as little challenges as could be reasonably
accepted.
It is likewise appreciated that the Constitution of Zimbabwe has a provision that our elections
should be verifiable. As such, by extension, electoral processes should equally be verifiable in line
with the constitutional provision. It is therefore essential that as far as is possible ZEC creates
opportunities for election stakeholders to verify personal details on the voter’s roll. In addition, it
is essential ZEC avails the provisional voters’ roll for inspection to stakeholders, allowing
stakeholders to track any changes to the data collected at registration and the final voters’ roll that
will be used in the 2018 elections.