Zimbabwe organizes ID card campaign to enroll more voters

The department of civil registration of Zimbabwe is running a special campaign aimed at issuing birth certificates and national ID cards to enable many more Zimbabweans take part in the ongoing biometric voter registration blitz.

In an announcement, the department says the exercise will run from 12-21 March and its mobile teams have been deployed nationwide to enrol citizens for the two vital civil ID credentials.

The catch-up mobile campaign for ID cards and birth certificates was announced last month.

The mobile campaign, according to the department, targets those who have attained the age of 18 (the legal age for acquiring an ID in Zimbabwe) as well as those who have misplaced their cards. It also concerns those who require both the birth certificate and the national ID card.

According to the program, the mobile teams have been working from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm on weekdays, and from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm on Saturdays and Sundays.

The special campaign is running concurrently with the mobile voter registration blitz which also ends on March 21.

Reports in Zimbabwe indicate that the biometric voter registration exercise has been facing some hitches with the electoral commission (ZEC) blaming recurrent power cuts for disrupting the process in some parts of the country.

“The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission hereby notifies the public that it is currently experiencing technical difficulties at some of its registration centers. This is due to shortages of electricity affecting the charging of the BVR kits,” the ZEC tweeted on 14 March.

“The situation is also worsened by the cloudy weather which affects the solar powered BVR kits. ZEC assures the public that every eligible citizen will be registered. The commission will do its best to discharge its mandate.”

The difficulties notwithstanding, reports indicates that there has been an impressive turnout so far of eligible voters at registration offices and at mobile registration points to enrol their names on the voter’s roll.

Zimbabweans will vote in general elections in either July or August as the ZEC is yet to announce a precise date for the polls.

Article Topics

Africa  |  birth registration  |  civil registration  |  digital ID  |  digital ID cards  |  elections  |  identity document  |  national ID  |  voter registration  |  Zimbabwe