The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has confirmed that names of people visiting polling stations will have their details recorded to enable contact tracing in the event of any detected cases of COVID-19.
In a statement Wednesday, ZEC Spokesperson Jasper Mangwana dismissed social media claims that it has barred polling officers and agents from bringing cellphones, pens and notebooks among other things into voting centres.
Mangwana said polling agents can use their mobile phones outside polling stations adding that this is meant to avoid disruptive activity inside the voting centre.
“The prohibition of the use of cellphones in the actual polling station has always been a standing procedure as this may lead to disruptive activity in the polling station if not controlled,” said Mangwana.
“The Commission has indeed received a complaint from a stakeholder that it has received information to the effect that it will be recording names of polling agents for the purposes of contact tracing in the event of COVID-19 cases and that it has barred the bringing of cellphones, pens, notebooks and torch cells in the polling stations by polling agents.
“The Commission wishes to place it on record that indeed names of people visiting or deployed at the polling stations will be recorded. However, such recording will not be restricted to polling agents only but to every person who visits the polling station for whatever reason.
“This is to enable contact tracing in the event of any detected cases of COVID-19 pandemic and the Commission has enlisted the help of the Red Cross Society of Zimbabwe and other qualified health personnel to assist in that endeavor,” he added.
ZEC is under increasing pressure from the opposition amid concerns of massive manipulation of the voters roll and bias in favor of the ruling party among other issues.
Zimbabwe goes to vote on Saturday in a make or break by-election to replace legislators and councillors who were recalled by the MDC-T in 2019 and a few seats that fell vacant following the death of sitting representatives.
