Check out these clickable maps of Referendum polling stations to help you know where to vote in Zimbabwe’s Constitutional Referendum 16 March.

• View Harare map full sized
  
• View Bulawayo map full sized

Just click on any shaded area to view a pop up window of polling stations near there. We’ve only got data for Bulawayo and Harare Provinces (including Chitungwiza and Epworth) for now – But we’re working on more!

Note this map is based on the list of provisional polling stations published by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission on 8 March.

Note also that you can actually vote at ANY polling station for the referendum. If you’re a Zimbabwean citizen 18 years or older, just bring your ID, waiting pass or passport to any polling station and you can vote.

Rather amusing really to see the MDC pushing for a Yes vote in the Referendum through full page adverts in the press. Amusing because, whilst a robust Constitution is a must have, I wonder where the MDC get off saying this draft is worth supporting. For example the new Constitution says that every Zimbabwean is entitled to free basic education. Hmmm … and where is the money for this? The MDC also trumpets that the elderly are entitled to reasonable care and assistance, health care, medical assistance, AND social security and welfare from the state. Hmmm … and where is the money for this? Then of course we have the war veterans who, according to the new constitution are entitled to pension and basic health care. Hmm … and where is the money for this? Gloriously triumphant the MDC excitedly says that the new constitution does not allow for members of the security services to be members of political parties – this is a real HA HA HA moment. Because as we all know the security services take their orders from ZPF and if (a real long shot) the MDC ever occupies real office in Zimbabwe, the security forces would take orders from them. Another part of the MDC’s why you should vote Yes advert says that aliens who were born in Zimbabwe but of parents from the SADC region are now Zimbabweans by birth and they can now vote … hmmm, why only SADC Mr T?

COPAC, ZPF and the MDC should clearly state that whilst the new Constitution promises a lot, the inclusive government is unable to deliver on those promises.

People are being asked to vote Yes for a lot of hot air.

Think about it – politicians will say anything for a vote.

There has been a massive failure on the part of the Inclusive Government in Zimbabwe to provide adequate supplies of clean water. There hasn’t been regular municipal water for several years in many suburbs in Harare – low and high density.

The mushrooming of “we sink wells” adverts in the medium-to high density suburbs indicates the lack of clean running water.

Photographs by Crispen Rateiwa

Constitutional Referendum Polling Stations (a provisional list) were published in the press yesterday by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission. ZEC advises that the final list will be published no later than 48 hours before the date of poll (16 March).

We’re in the process of making these available in electronic format – The Bulawayo and Harare Province (including Chitungwiza and Epworth) lists are on our site, and you can get them here. We’ll continue to add more provinces as we go.

Whilst this is still a “provisional” list, it is worth noting that these polling stations are very similar to those used in the 2008 General Election and Presidential Run-Off Election, so if there’s a polling station you know you’ve used in the past, chances are you can use it again.

It’s also worth noting that, whilst this information is presented by ZEC in Province, District, Constituency and Ward order, any Zimbabwean citizen over 18 can vote in the Referendum, at any polling station, regardless of whether you’re registered to vote, and regardless of where you live. You just need to bring your ID, waiting pass or passport.

So, take a look at the polling station lists, and do a search for your constituency, suburb or a school near you, and find out where you can vote next Saturday. Maybe make a note of a few polling stations near you, so that if the queue is quite long at one, you can just go to another.

And, if you haven’t decided how you’re going to vote yet, check out some of these resources to help you understand the Draft Constitution.

(Update 11 March – The provisional lists for Mashonaland Central and Mashonaland East are also now up as well here)

Call for Applications / SADC Water Fellowships: Inter Press Service (IPS) Africa
Deadline: 15 March 2013

Applications are invited for the SADC Water Fellowships offered by Inter Press Service (IPS) Africa as part of its SADC programme on reporting on water issues in southern Africa, the Southern Africa Water Wire (SAWW). The SADC Water Fellowship will be awarded to three fellows from the SADC region to produce a short documentary, photo reportage or short publication that tells a compelling story of the importance of water as a resource in any one of the SADC river basins. The story telling should draw the linkages between water as a life-giving resource and any one of the range of development objectives and priorities that are critical to the sustainability of water resources. Applicants can address issues of water management; water governance, infrastructure development, capacity development, climate change adaptation, and/or social development, making the critical linkage between these priorities and the impact on ordinary people.

Three fellowships will be awarded up to a maximum of US$8000. The winners will have four months to produce their outputs. Each fellow will be guided and supported by a media mentor selected by IPS to ensure the best possible story telling. The fellows will present their productions at a major event to be held later in 2013.

Application procedure

Applicants should submit concepts that outline, in no more than two pages:
-Your story idea
-The geographical area you intend to cover
-Who you would speak to/interview as part of your story
-The medium you intend to use and why
-Your expected overall budget

Applications that get through the first round will be expected to further develop their ideas into a proposal with a detailed budget to compete in a second and final round. The deadline for concept submissions is 15 March. Successful applicants for the second round will be informed by 29 March.

Please send your concept, together with your CV to africahq [at] ips [dot] org with the subject line SAWW Fellowship_your name. Due to the high volume of applications we receive only successful short listed applicants will be responded to.

Eligibility & Criteria
-Applicants must be nationals of any SADC member state and currently residing within the SADC region
-Applicants must have completed or be in the final year of tertiary media training and be able to demonstrate a specialisation in the medium they intend to use in their story telling
-Proposals may be submitted for story telling in any medium – print, audio, video, stills, animation, etc or a combination
-Applicants can be groups or individuals
-The story of water can be told in English, French, or Portuguese but please specify which language you intend to use for each output.

Applications from women and people with disabilities are encouraged.

About IPS Africa Inter Press Service (IPS) is a communication institution with a global news agency at its core. IPS Africa is headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa with a regional office in Cotonou, Benin. Focusing on Africa’s untold stories, IPS strives to produce regular features and multi-media products focusing on development issues. The Southern Africa Water Wire provides in-depth coverage of a range of water-related issues in Southern Africa, linking water to economic development, social well being and environmental protection. Local journalists from across the region explore the challenges, failures and successes of managing this vital resource.

With just over a week left before the Referendum, understanding Zimbabwe’s Draft Constitution in time may sound like a daunting task. Besides, the full Constitution is 177 pages of leagalese, so you might not be in a huge rush to read the whole thing. But thanks to COPAC and the hard work of many civil society organisations, there are a number of documents out there to help you understand the key points about the Constitution, so that you may make an informed decision.

Here are a few suggestions on recommended Constitution reading:

• COPAC Summarised Constitution – Available in 11 languages
• Legal Resources Foundation Understanding the Constitution leaflet series
• Idasa Constitutional Scorecard
• Research and Advocacy Unit (RAU) discussion on Proportional representation: Exploring the unknown unknown
• Of camels, constitutions, and elections – Commentary from RAU
• Review of the COPAC draft Constitution & assessing Independent Commissions by Idasa
• A gender audit of COPAC draft Constitution from Zimbabwe Women Lawyers Association (ZWLA)
• Why Alex Magaisa is voting yes
• Why the NCA is voting no

Of course if you just can’t help yourself, you can read the full Draft Constitution:

• Download it as a PDF or Word document here
• Access it on biNu
• Get the Zimbabwe Draft Constitution App for Android [+ more coming soon]

And if you’re still curious, check out Kubatana’s special index page on the Constitution making process, which is chock-full of analysis, commentary and discussion on the Draft Constitution and the long process of getting to it.

Voting in the Referendum 16 March is easy for any Zimbabwean citizen over 18 years old – You just need to bring your ID / Passport / ID Waiting Pass. Find out more here.