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Walter Mswazie Masvingo correspondent
Masvingo residents have added their voice to the growing calls for the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to scrap the requirement of proof of residence for one to register as a voter under the ongoing Biometric Voter Registration exercise. They are arguing that besides being cumbersome, the requirement was also time consuming and in the end discourages many potential voters to register ahead of next year’s elections. Residents who spoke to The Herald yesterday said waiting for one to get proof of residence was not only tiresome, but ended up frustrating them. Masvingo Residents Trust coordinator Mr Prosper Tiringindi said a number of residents had been turned away from voter registration centres after failing to produce proof of residence.

“While we hail the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission for such a noble programme (BVR), we are disturbed by the request for proof of residence and we are advocating its scrapping so that people can easily register,” said Mr Tiringindi. He said most members under his organisation had complained after encountering challenges and delays to register as a voter after failing to produce proof of residence.

“Our members are complaining that the process of obtaining this proof of residence is cumbersome for those who do not own houses,” said Mr Tiringindi. “It takes too long for one to have an affidavit and get it certified. Sometimes the Commissioner of Oaths won’t be available at the registration centre and that means one has to work overtime to get an alternative Commissioner of Oaths. We feel that proof of residence is an unnecessary requirement. This will obviously put off a lot of people people and some will end up abandoning to register as voters altogether. We call upon ZEC to address this issue as we feel it compromises on our rights to vote as residents.” Masvingo’s ZEC provincial officer, Mr Zex Pudurayi, confirmed challenges faced by those seeking proof of residency, but said the situation was being exaggerated as lawyers and councillors were providing the Commissioner of Oaths services for free.

“While I can confirm that there could be some challenges faced in cases when the lawyers are not readily available, those seeking such documents are assisted without having to pay anything,” he said.

“As I am talking to you now, I am seeing residents with certified affidavits. As ZEC, we are waiting for the certification of all our supervisors to become Commissioners of Oaths so that we will not have these reported hiccups. However, proof of residence remains an important requirement for one to register under BVR. It is only that some people have an attitude of complaining even when it is not necessary. By and large, the programme is moving smoothly in Masvingo, although it started on a slow pace.”The BVR entered its second phase starting from Sunday, with over 200 000 people having been registered in Masvingo Province in the first phase, while 1,2 million others were registered throughout the country. Most political parties have also called for the scrapping of proof of residence requirement, which they cite as a hindrance to those who want to register, but are not homeowners.