Pro-democracy activist and WELEAD executive director Namati Kwekweza issued a strong warning concerning violence and instability ahead of the elections in 2023 if young people are left out of the delimitation process.
Delimitation is the process of redrawing wards’ and constituencies’ boundaries for electoral purposes.
The boundaries are to give constituencies and wards as equal voting strength as possible.
According to Section 161 of the 2013 Zimbabwe constitution, there must be a population census. And the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) is required to conduct a delimitation of electoral boundaries.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) began the delimitation exercise on 1 June 2022.
ZEC has held pre-delimitation engagements and is expected to conclude the redrawing of boundaries before the next elections.
Although ZEC is on record saying it will reach out to all relevant stakeholders in the delimitation consultation stage. The youths feel excluded.
Speaking during a Twitter Space discussion hosted by the Zimbabwe Election Support Network, running under the theme- The 2022 Delimitation Exercise Implications For Credible Elections in Zimbabwe-Kwekweza raised concern over youth exclusion.
“We run the possibility of violence and a lack of stability as we prepare for the 2023 elections if this particular delimitation process is not inclusive of young people and adequately conveyed to young people.
“This is because people won’t trust the process since it is not transparent.
“The process around delimitation has not been very youth friendly fundamentally on communication. On the technical jargon that is used in terms of communicating the delimitation process.
“Not much has been done to explain the delimitation process to young people in a youth-friendly way that they can understand.
“Little has been done to publicize and to show the interconnectivity of the process to the census that recently ended.
“Not many young people have been improved in the leadership, and administration processes surrounding this particular delimitation process. Which makes it highly unfair considering that it will be youths who will be affected,” Kwekweza said.
Youth constitute majority
Sixty-two percent of the Zimbabwean population constitutes the youth.
Kwekweza reiterated the fact that youths make up the majority of the population. However, they have not been taken seriously given the impact the process will have on the demography.
“Young people in Zimbabwe constitute the decisive demographic in our electoral processes.
“Young people are the majority and this can not be disputed. I have used these statistics in so many of my presentations
Voter Apathy
Additionally, Kwekweza highlights that the lack of transparency and exclusion of youths by ZEC may increase voter apathy.
“If we are not communicating the delimitation exercise in a way that youths can understand. It can lead to increased voter apathy.
“Because the sentiment could be this is a process that can be potentially used to rig elections.
“It can lead to apathy in terms of participation and in terms of showing up to vote.
“It is important that we start having conversations around how we take the delimitation to young people. In a way they can understand the process, ” she added.
Election watchdog Zimbabwe Election Support Network proposes that ZEC expands youth engagement in a position paper it issued in 2020 titled, Youth Participation In Governance Processes: The Case For Zimbabwe.
Furthermore, ZESN suggests that increased engagement with the youth before and during elections would result in effective youth participation throughout the electoral cycle.
However, ZEC argues that it has held consultation meetings with stakeholders but insists those left out would be invited.
