Army bussed for voter registration exercise

MEMBERS of the army and their wives are being bussed and registered as voters in Bulawayo and Matabeleland North province, an MDC-T legislator has said.

Bulawayo East MP Thabitha Khumalo said on Friday she recently witnessed soldiers being bussed to register as voters, raising suspicion that the forthcoming elections could be rigged.

She said the soldiers were being registered as voters in Umguza and at United Bulawayo Hospital (UBH).

"What I don't understand is why they were brought and registered there as voters. I tried to get an answer from one of the officials at UBH but failed," Khumalo said while addressing journalists at the Bulawayo Press Club.

"I happened to meet one of the wives of the army [personnel] in my constituency to understand what was going on. She told me that they were ordered in no uncertain terms to go and register as voters."

She also said the voter registration process was in shambles and advocated for people to vote using their identification cards.

"During the referendum people voted using their IDs and people should be given the right to also use them to vote," she said.

Khumalo also condemned the arrest of people while carrying out voter registration campaigns.

Efforts to get a comment from ZEC officials were fruitless.