COVID-19 scuttles Zanu-PF voter registration campaign

Zanu-PF Bulawayo province yesterday said COVID-19 lockdowns had scuttled its ambitious goal to register five million new voters for the 2023 polls.

Zanu-PF Bulawayo provincial chairperson Obert Msindo told Southern Eye that COVID-19 lockdown restrictions had stalled their efforts to embark on door-to-door voter registration campaigns.

Zanu-PF Bulawayo province started the campaigns before the latest lockdown announced by President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Monday.

"We have been conducting these door-to-door campaigns for a while, but because of COVID-19 restrictions, we have stopped. We will resume each time lockdown restrictions are eased," Msindo said.

"Reaction from people is still a bit tricky now that we have been stopping and after some time, resume again. So it is still not clear to say anything for now."

Zanu-PF says it is targeting at least 65% of the voters in the 2023 polls, but in the 2018 elections, Mnangagwa won 50,6% of the vote to MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa's 44,3%.

Chamisa has disputed the results, while former Information minister Jonathan Moyo contends that the MDC Alliance leader actually won 66% of the vote.

Zimbabwe has 5 695 706 registered voters, according to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission.