Zimpapers Logo

Walter Nyamukondiwa Chinhoyi Bureau
THE second phase of the Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) exercise has gathered momentum in Mashonaland West province after all the registration officials were successfully deployed. The 320 BVR kits also underwent reconfiguration and servicing to increase efficiency in searching prospective voters’ homes and matching them to their nearest polling station.

Following successful implementation of the first phase, which covered areas in Kariba district and parts of Hurungwe, the teams are now registering people in Makonde, the remainder of Hurungwe and parts of Zvimba district. Zimbabwe Electoral Commission district officers are now compiling and analysing data from the first phase. This is to see if they have managed to meet the 80 percent registration target for eligible voters. In an interview yesterday, ZEC acting provincial elections officer Mr Austin Ndlovu said deployment went on smoothly.

“We conducted training of our BVR kit operators after a system upgrade meant to improve the process,” he said. “It now has the updated alpha list, which deals with cases recorded in the first phase where some information was missing.

“We had three technicians who were uploading the simplified and faster software containing a search facility that considerably shortens the time people are served.” Officers were deployed on Saturday to cover Makonde district, parts of Zvimba and Hurungwe. The older version took between four and five minutes, but the new software ensures that a person is served in about two minutes. ZEC is compiling a new voters’ roll to be used during the 2018 harmonised elections. The new BVR search facility combines area search and polling station search.

“It auto-populates up to the polling station once information pertaining to the area is fed ensuring that the process is done in shortest time possible,” said Mr Ndlovu. There have been calls for coordination between ZEC and the Registrar- General’s Office who are also conducting free registration of identity particulars. This follows reports that ZEC are sometimes going to areas where officers from the RG’s Office have not reached with the necessary documents for registration.