Voters' roll set for major overhaul

Zimbabwe's voters' roll is poised for a significant overhaul as the Government prepares to transfer its custody back to the Registrar-General's Office through the Zimbabwe Population Registry System (ZPPRS), an integrated digital platform designed to update birth and death records in real time.

Addressing party members following a Special Provincial Coordinating Committee virtual meeting, Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Kazembe Kazembe said the computerised system would revolutionise voter registration management by ensuring continuous, accurate and up-to-date information.

The meeting, attended by senior officials from ZANU-PF in Harare, unpacked Constitutional Amendment No. 3 ahead of nationwide consultations.

Minister Kazembe explained that the ZPPRS centralises national data, enabling automatic updates when citizens reach voting age or when deaths are registered.

"The system ensures that information is accurate at any given time. Updates on death registration and those attaining voting age are automatic and in real time," he said.

Historically, the voters' roll was housed under the Registrar-General's Office before it was moved following constitutional changes during the COPAC reform process.

"The voters' roll was traditionally resident with the Registrar-General's Office and was changed during the COPAC agreement through a constitutional amendment," he said.

"The development had shortfalls and challenges. The good thing about taking the voters' roll back to the Registrar-General is that they have records of everyone. They issue birth certificates, national identity cards and death certificates. Information is accessible at the click of a button and the Registrar-General's Office will not conduct the election."

Minister Kazembe said opposition parties had previously pushed for the removal of the voters' roll from the Registrar-General's Office due to political differences with former Registrar-General Tobaiwa Mudede.

He added that Constitutional Amendment No. 3 would also pave the way for the establishment of a delimitation commission and address concerns related to Zimbabwe's election cycle.

According to the minister, frequent elections have kept the country in what he described as a perpetual campaign mode, which he argued has impeded national development.

"We were living for elections, and elections had become a business for others. The vicious cycle started with internal party elections, including district coordinating committees, followed by primary elections before harmonised elections. There was no rest; it was fight after fight," he said.

On presidential polls, Minister Kazembe claimed that such elections in Africa have often been manipulated by Western countries and their allies to destabilise governments.

"House of Assembly election results often remain uncontested while the President is subjected to humiliation, yet he leads the most popular party," he said.

He cited regional examples, noting that in some countries such as South Africa, presidents are elected through parliamentary processes rather than direct national votes.

Mashonaland Central vice chairman Christopher Magomo said extending the election cycle would allow the country to focus on long-term development priorities.

"Projects that were lagging behind were fast-tracked under the National Development Strategy 1. These projects will be completed following the extension of the election cycle," he said.

"We are aiming for Vision 2030, and this extension will allow continuity. The Harare-Kanyemba Road and four dams were started by the President, and they will be completed."

Magomo added that Zimbabwe had recorded notable achievements, including improved food security, arguing that the amendment would support sustained progress.

Some participants at the meeting proposed extending the election cycle to up to 10 years.

Women's League chairperson Tsitsi Gezi said the League had begun ward-level meetings to disseminate information on Constitutional Amendment No. 3, while Politburo member Kenneth Musanhi urged party members to unite and counter what he described as misinformation surrounding the proposed changes.

The province is set to hold inter-district engagements followed by district meetings as part of preparations for the national consultation process on the constitutional amendment.