Crowd sourced citizen reporting on Zimbabwe’s constitutional referendum
Here is some more crowd sourced citizen reporting from around Zimbabwe. For consolidated citizen feedback please click here.
Chimanimani – Court House next to the DA’S office. It was well sign posted. There was nobody in the queue ahead of us at 11.45hrs. Three police sat at a pleasant distance under a tree. The process was easy and quick. Four people in the queue by the time we left. The process took 4 minutes.
Some observations 16/3/13 Mbare
8.00am Stodart Hall: about half a dozen people waiting to vote, moving slowly
9.00am St.Peter’s school (next to Shawasha flats): yard full of four queues
4.00pm St.Peter’s: eight police, no voters Musika 1, a police tent on 20th St: one or two voters, very slow Musika 2, a police tent near Mbare PO buses: half a dozen police, less voters; very slow
4.30pm Gwinyai school: little activity visible from outside the gate; very few voters
4.40pm Harare Sec Sch: little activity visible from outside the gate; very few voters
With the exception of St.Peters School in the morning, where the impression was that all the flats residents were voting together, there were as many or more cops at each polling station as voters at any time. The police were all very young, in fresh new grey uniforms displaying no Force numbers.
In walking around I saw few inked fingers, but people were not displaying them as they would after voting in an election. One woman washing fish showed that the ink was almost washed off her finger.
I am in Ward 15 Mutare South Constituency, Dangamvura people are not coming. It looks like there is vote apathy.
Voting was done peacefully though most people do not know what is in the proposed constitution. Ruwa.
Am in town of Redcliff, Kwe Kwe. Voting was peaceful though it was characterised by voter apathy.
Big turnout at Dzivaresekwa.
I am quite disturbed by Justice R Makarau’s statement on ZTV that some polling stations across the country opened a bit late due to shortage of fuel and late pitching of tents. Isn’t that poor planning on the part of ZEC or perhaps it’s lack of funding by government.
Generally no incidence of violence so far. People didn’t come in volumes as expected. I voted at 0700am we were only 5 men and 2 women. Voter apathy is expected since most people said they never saw the draft document. Gweru Mkoba.
I got the copy of the constitution at my school where I teach on time b4 I voted. Generally most people didn’t see the final draft constitution. This has caused confusion among people. I overhead 3 ladies asking each other whether to vote yes or no.
In Gokwe South gwehava area no voter education so they voted for something else other than a good constitution.
In Mat South, Matobo, Cyrene. Drove across 2 Mat North, Umguza, WestAcre 2 cast my vote. Lots by the shopping centre with red fingers, none eva seen a draft const!
NCA & Zimrights well known members denied access polls around Kariba. ZANU PF members going door 2 door writing names of those either voted or not. People were put on polling stations jotting down names.
People voted here at Zvishavane but almost everyone said we had voted for what we have not knowin’ but they vote in peace.
Majority do not know what YES/NO is all about hence a very low turn up.