17 residents associations from around the country have embarked on an ambitious initiative to encourage citizens to register to vote emphasizing on the linkage between elections and service delivery.
During a recent meeting, the associations from urban and rural communities acknowledged the need to build active community participation in politics amid continued voter apathy arising from lack of integrity on electoral processes in recent years.
According to a communique issued post the meeting, participants noted that voter education is critical in strengthening the capacity of citizens to demand for accountable, transparent, free and fair elections.
“In light of the linkage between elections and service delivery, participants noted that there is need to push for electoral reforms which are linked to service delivery so that citizens will have an understanding of how their vote will impact on access to social services,” read the communiqué.
“The need to push for duty bearers at council level to have power in terms of decision making as a way of enhancing accountability will also be a key advocacy issue. This is line with the principle of devolution as enshrined in the Constitution of Zimbabwe.”
Among other issues, the meeting acknowledged the need to push for Executive Mayors at councils across the country.
“This is in light of the fact that technocrats have become more powerful than elected officials and in some instances, they appear to be pushing partisan agendas,” it further reads.
Attendants also concurred that there is need to push for a youth and women’s quota system in the composition of both local and provincial councils and that allocation processes for the women’s quota should be inclusive and transparent.
They also agreed to push for a diaspora vote in the upcoming 2023 elections, a demand that has been strongly resisted by the Zimbabwean government over the years.
Participants bemoaned the perpetual abuse of Section 129(k) by politicians through the ongoing recalls of Councilors and Members of Parliament which is working against representative democracy, crippling accountability mechanisms and rendering residents powerless, hence the need to come up with provisions in the Electoral Act that will operationalize Section 129(k) of the Constitution to allow involvement of citizens in the recall process of elected officials.
Residents associations present at the meeting includes Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association, Combined Harare Residents Association, Chiredzi Residents and Ratepayers Association and Chitungwiza and Manyame Rural Residents Association among others.
