Back to Index

The Legal Monitor - Issue 22
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR)
November 24, 2009

Download this article
- Acrobat PDF version (674KB)
If you do not have the free Acrobat reader on your computer, download it from the Adobe website by clicking here.

Voters' roll a graveyard

MP's have demanded an urgent comprehensive audit of the national voter's roll after unearthing "multiple entries and general inaccuracies" that include a one-year old child being recorded as eligible to vote.

In a Parliamentary debate last week, legislators argued that the "chaotic" voters' roll must be overhauled before any election is held.

Masvingo Urban MP, Tongai Matutu said the entire voters' roll should be discarded, while government should facilitate the compilation of a fresh voters' roll. He said this process, which would cost US$15 million, as essential to creation of an environment for elections.

Introducing the motion in Parliament last week, Matutu said: "Convinced that an audit of the voters' roll is urgent and necessary to ensure that future elections are credible, this House calls upon the inclusive government to immediately carry out a comprehensive audit of the voters' roll to get rid of all inaccuracies and irregularities."

Matutu claimed the voters' roll was in a "chaotic state" given that deceased people, some over 100 years old still appeared on the document. Hundreds of other names have been entered more than once.

The chaotic state of the voters' roll was most apparent in electoral petitions challenging the results in 105 constituencies following the March 2008 elections.

"Regular and fair elections are core of any democracy. The holding of such elections should be on an accurate and up-to-date voters' roll," said Matutu, adding that in his constituency, there were 33,871 registered voters as of last year's elections, including someone recorded as being 122 years old.

"Of these 503 are over 90 years and the surprising thing is the date of their birth, which is 1 January 1901. Five hundred and three people are dead, and it goes to show the extent to which the voters' roll should represent the graveyard. I have the list of those people who are 107 years old still appearing on the voters' roll," Matutu said, adding that given the life expectancy in Zimbabwe was around 44 years.

Matutu claimed some names appeared in multiple constituencies. He gave the example of one Hekezia Rumbabvu who appeared on both Masvingo Urban and Gutu North constituency voters' rolls.

Download the full document

Visit the ZLHR fact sheet

Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.

TOP