InfocusNews 23 - 30 May 2022
Delimitation to begin on June 1
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HE delimitation of constituencies, wards and other electoral boundaries for elections over the next decade is set to begin on Wednesday according to a Government Gazette. Part of the process which will stretch up to December this year will include the delimitation of boundaries for the 2023 General Elections whose date is yet to be announced. In a notice the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission chairperson Justice Priscilla Chigumba said National Assembly constituencies should have equal numbers of voters, although district and especially provincial boundaries need to be taken into account, along with other community interests. Wards according to the notice, cannot be split between constituencies and as far as possible districts facebook.com/wildtrustzim |
should not be split unless there is no other way of getting the reasonable equality of numbers. “The public is hereby notified of the Commission’s intention to commence the delimitation of boundaries and other electoral boundaries. Notwithstanding the date of publication of this Notice, the process of boundary delimitation shall commence from the 1st of June, 2022, and continue into the culmination of the drafting of a preliminary report or until the 31st of December, 2022, whichever occurs first,” she said. “In terms of Section 161(7) of the Constitution, at the conclusion of the boundary delimitation, the Commission shall produce and submit to the President a preliminary report.” Justice Chigumba added that for the purpose of the boundary delimitation, the voters roll shall
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be deemed to be closed on May 30, 2022. “Voter registration shall, however, remain open for purposes of any by-elections that may become necessary and the 2023 general elections,” she said. “Voter’s roll inspections can be done on dates to be notified and thereafter, ZEC shall issue a notice specifying the national and provincial voter population figures to be used for purposes of the delimitation of boundaries. The much-anticipated delimitation process however could spell doom for Matabeleland region which may lose a number of constituencies based on the low number of people who managed to register to vote. The three provinces recorded the least number of voters during the two nationwide blitz conducted by ZEC.
InfocusNews for survival,” she said. ” Besides constant harassment from men who scramble for waste or sabotage our prices, so far so good it’s better than sitting at home. The only fear is that one day we may develop risky health conditions given the stench, dirt and hazards all over this dump site. ”
Waste pickers share the challenges they face
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STRONG stench surrounds what has officially become their work environment which helps them eke a living under difficult economic challenges in Zimbabwe. Some come all the way from Harare, Gweru and Mutare to pick waste from Bulawayo’ s Landfill Site popularly known as Ngozi Mine located in Richmond surburb. Due to the environmental and social challenges relating to crime, gender-based violence, poor pricing models and competition for waste at Ngozi Mine, women are often faced with danger and death while trying to make ends meet. In separate interviews, waste pickers highlighted that although they are able to raise money for food and rent, the environment is now dangerous. Siphilile Mashona who is employed as a security guard says waste picking is a side hustle which helps her raise money for the upkeep of her two children.
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“I spend half a day at Ngozi Mine picking waste which is later packed and sold in Harare for about $100 per tonne. The process of picking that much however comes with a lot of risk and often we are attacked by males and other competitors who hire men to chase us away from this place,” she said. “The place is ever dirty not that we expect anything better but it puts our health at risk as we do not have protective clothing. We are prone to disease but since we have no other means we have to come here and work so that at least I get that extra $100 monthly to pay rent and school fees. Unlike Mashona who works single handedly, Otilia Moyo from Harare has a group of five women who she hired to pick and wash plastics for her. “The business side of things is attractive as I can raise $300 monthly and then give my workers $30 each so they too can fend for their families. One of my workers is a qualified teacher but due to hardships has resorted to waste picking
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A recent report from Matabeleland Institute of Health Rights (MIHR) shows that there is a growing number of waste pickers in Bulawayo. “For most female waste pickers, waste picking is an option that is undertaken due to desperation as a result of high poverty rates and high unemployment rates in Zimbabwe. However, having ventured into this sector, most female waste pickers realize vast opportunities within the circular waste management economy and now want to diversify into waste recycling as livelihood option,” said MIHR. “There are a lot of human rights violations in the waste picking sector and most of them target women and girls. Majority of the violations are done with impunity as there is a high number of women and girls (victims and potential victims) who do not know where to report them. This then creates a perpetual cycle of violence and militates against efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls.” MIHR called for gender inclusive and human rights-based approaches to challenging all forms of violence and discrimination of women and girls in the waste picking sector.
InfocusNews “While the application was launched prior to the by-election it is an app that we hope journalists will use all the time going forward in any event of a violation. Further, when a violation happens and the journalist uses the application, the messages they send after triggering the alert button will only be received by their emergency contacts. If MISA staff are not part of those contacts, we will not receive the message, ” she said. She said so far about 109 people have downloaded the application which is encouraging as journalists are always at risk of any kind of violation.
Panic button app expected to safeguard journalists during elections
general elections, beginning with the recently held March 26 and May by-elections, MISA has called for the safety of journalists to be a priority during these events, with the panic button serving as a major resource to ensure their safety.
he Media Institute of Southern Africa Zimbabwe Charter’s Panic Button App which was launched just before by elections in March this year will continue being in use to help safeguard journalists as they continue their duties.
Designed with a red alert trigger button, the MISA application sends an alert message to preconfigured contacts, alerting them of the user’s emergency and location, even if the contacts don’t have the app on their phones.
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According to MISA, the launch was necessitated by the increase in the number of attacks against journalists in the country. As Zimbabwe goes into the 2023 facebook.com/wildtrustzim |
Nompilo Simanje from MISA said the Android application that can help journalists in case of an emergency. Media practitioners who find themselves in emergencies while carrying out their journalism duties.
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“We recorded two cases during the by-elections where journalists were accused of taking photographs in the polling station without authorization. The app was not used for any violation of laws but to safeguard journalists who may find themselves at risk as they continue doing their duties,” she said. According to MISA, the launch was necessitated by the increase in the number of attacks against journalists in the country.
“...so far about 109 people have downloaded the application which is encouraging as journalists are always at risk of any kind of violation...”
Electoral Information Blitz
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Electoral Information Blitz
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