TICHAONA KATSVAMUTIMA IN CHINHOYI
A non-governmental organisation (NGO) has embarked on an extensive mobilisation of first-time voters in three districts of Mashonaland West.
The organisation, running under the banner Whispers, is assisting its target group which is young women who have not participated in previous elections.
The NGO is helping them to acquire birth certificates and national identity documents.
Whispers executive director Sibonokuhle Buhlungu said time voters are the future of the nation and should take advantage of this and register to vote.
“So we are going province by province making sure that we are assisting young women to first of all, understand what voting is and why it is important, secondly to assist them to get the relevant documents to have them register to vote and then taking them through the voting registration process with the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission,” Buhlungu said.
She said the response in Zvimba, Makonde and Chinhoyi districts of Mashonaland West was good and they have assisted more than 50 young women without birth certificates and identity cards to have their documents and managed to register to vote.
“We had young women as old as 26 years who had no birth certificate, who had no identity document, having such numbers coming out and assisting young women of that age to get documentation is a wow moment for us and the fact that they came out in their numbers and we are just talking about three districts that we only manage to cover,” Buhlungu said.
A 33-year-old woman from Alaska who had no birth certificate told Business Times that she was excited that she is now able to be part of the upcoming 2023 elections.
“I have never had a chance to register to vote because it was difficult for me to acquire a birth certificate and my relatives were not keen to assist me,” the woman.
Electoral participation is a right enshrined in section 67 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe.
The Constitution gives every citizen of Zimbabwe the right to form, join a political party of choice, vote in all elections and referendums and to stand for public office and if elected to hold such office.
The youth in Zimbabwe constitute about 60% of the total population. Therefore, ensuring youth’s peaceful participation in elections enhances peace and good governance in the country.
