EIGHTY percent of adults in Matabeleland North are registered voters, making the province the second after the Midlands to have citizens who are conscious of electoral processes in the country.
Out of a total of 420 463 adults eligible to vote in Matabeleland North, 340 427 of them are registered voters, translating to 80,96 percent.
With 81 percent registered voters, Midlands is the only province with a higher proportion than Matabeleland North.
The country has 5,8 million registered voters against an adult population of 8 million which is eligible to participate in electoral processes.
This is contained in the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission delimitation report that was tabled before Parliament last Friday.
The report shows that Matabeleland North, despite seemingly having the third lowest number of registered voters after Matabeleland South and Bulawayo, has the second highest proportion of registered voters, surpassing the national average of 72 percent.
Midlands province has 937 253 adults eligible to vote and 762 928 of them are registered to vote which is a proportion of 81,40
percent registered voters. Mashonaland West has the lowest proportion of registered voters as 65,23 percent of its one million are registered to vote, which means 661 289 people are registered to vote.
Matabeleland South has an adult population of 398 947 and 267 617 of them are registered to vote, translating to 67,08 percent of the population that is registered to vote, the lowest in the country.
Bulawayo has the second lowest proportion of registered voters at 67,27 percent with 270 938 people registered to vote against its 402 708 adult population.
Harare has the largest adult population in the country of 1,4 million, but only 67,75 percent of them have registered to vote meaning it has 952 102 registered voters.
Zec said the national average of registered voters was calculated using the 2022 National Population and Housing Census.
“A comparison of the voter population figures and the National Population and Housing Census figures shows that the total number of registered voters represent approximately 72 percent represent of the adult population,” reads the report.
Matabeleland North Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Richard Moyo said it is impressive to note that most of the communities in the province are conscious about participating in electoral processes.
He said this will enable them to elect leaders who will be able best to represent them.
“We are very happy that most of our adult population in Matabeleland North have registered to vote. We have been encouraging members of the public to register to vote and they have taken heed,” said Minister Moyo.
“It is pleasing to have the second highest proportion of registered voters. This means that the communities will be involved in decision-making processes as opposed to having some people making decisions on behalf of others.”
Minister Moyo urged those who have not yet registered to vote to do so ahead of the elections later this year.
A consortium of civil society operating in the Matabeleland region, Ekhaya Vote, which was on a drive to encourage members of the public to register to vote, said Matabeleland North is leading by example. Ekhaya vote spokesperson Mr Nkosikhona Dibiti said while the population in Matabeleland North is lower, it is commendable that most residents have registered to vote.
“It is a good thing because even when the province has a smaller population, those who are eligible to vote in that community are registered. It’s something that is commendable. We hope that it can be replicated in other provinces in the region such as Matabeleland South and Bulawayo,” he said.
According to the preliminary delimitation report, due to low registration figures Matabeleland South will lose a constituency while Harare added a constituency.
Mr Dibiti said registering to vote has an impact in terms of local development.
“We need to become active citizens when it comes to decision making in our communities.
Registering to vote allows us as communities to lobby for budgetary allocations,” he said.
“It also allows us to have representatives that we send to Parliament and local authorities.
“It is important that communities are civically engaged so that they become part of community development and selection of leaders.” – The Chronicle
