ElectionsZW: Gukurahundi victims denied voting rights
Victims of the Gukurahundi massacres which saw the death of over 20 000 civilians in the Matabeleland and Midlands regions over three decades ago are still being denied the right to vote.
During the genocide, many documents were lost or destroyed among them national identity documents while people lost their lives.
Among the deceased are parents and grandparents who would have been responsible to register their keen.
This has left thousands of people undocumented thus being denied access to services and many rights including the right to vote.
Prominent journalist Mlondolozi Ndlovu who worked with Amnesty International Zimbabwe in producing the ‘Statelessness’ report said many Gukurahundi victims struggle to get identity documents.
“There is a challenge of people in areas affected by Gukurahundi,” he said.
“Some of them lost their parents and grandparents so they cannot access these documents.
“What it means is that this becomes a legacy because if your father did not have an ID, you do not have an ID, your kids will not have an ID and as such it then affects the right to education, the right to health care, and such other rights.”
Ndlovu said denying one an identity card equates to denying them the right to choose.
“When it comes to the right to vote that’s a very pertinent vote which ensures how you determine your future and that of your nation,” he said.
“What it means is that if they cannot access IDs, because of these various reasons, they then do not have an opportunity to decide their leaders or when to choose their leaders.”
The government recently announced an impending mobile national identity registration early next year.
“This was a directive from His Excellency, the President Dr. Emmerson Mnangagwa and is tandem with the New Dispensation’s policy of devolution which seeks to bring services closer to the people and facilitate ease of doing business,” said Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Kazembe Kazembe in recent media reports.
The mobile registration comes after many people have been finding it difficult to access the crucial documents with the civil registry department citing lack of material to make the documents and manpower shortages as the offices are often manned with a few people to curb the spread of Covid-19.
Most Civil Registry Offices are issuing an average of 30 documents per day leaving thousands of documents seekers unregistered.
Though noble, the mobile registration process will likely not benefit the Gukurahundi victims having failed to access the documents in similar outreaches.
ElectionsZW: Gukurahundi victims denied voting rights
