By Flata Kavinga
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) has appealed to local authorities to prioritise the construction of more schools, clinics and public buildings to reduce the continued reliance on tents as polling stations, particularly in rural areas.
Addressing the Zibagwe Rural District Council Strategic Plan Workshop in Kwekwe, ZEC Kwekwe District Elections Officer Charles Simango said limited infrastructure was undermining efforts to provide adequate and secure polling facilities.
He said the commission depends heavily on buildings provided by councils during elections, but many communities still lack permanent structures suitable for polling.
“In Kwekwe we have over a hundred out of 312 polling stations where tents are used,” he said. “We appeal for more public buildings where tent polling stations are used to make our job much easier.”
Charles said ZEC continues to liaise with local authorities to ensure all council wards have a full complement of councillors and that any vacancies are reported promptly so they can be filled in line with electoral procedures.
He added that the commission also relies on councils to provide updates on newly established settlements that emerged after the last delimitation exercise in order to properly capture them in the voters’ roll.
“We expect local authorities to inform us on new settlements that came up after delimitation,” he said. “We interact with councils on this so that we update our lists to include them.”
The Elections Officer emphasised that while tents remain a temporary solution, improved infrastructure would enhance voter access, security and the overall management of polling stations.
Local authorities have been urged to factor the need for additional public buildings into their long-term development plans as part of strengthening electoral processes.
