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By Elvis Dumba
Zvimba – As the country gears itself towards the 2023 harmonised general elections later this year to choose leaders for the presidency, nearly every citizen yearns to play an active role in voting.
Whilst it is a constitutional right for every citizen who has attained the legal age to vote, which is 18 years, there is a section of society that yearns to have their own decisions in deciding country leaders who feel disenfranchised.
Nearly over a million Zimbabweans’ decisions do not matter in the forthcoming elections as their Zimbabwean identity documents are marked “Aliens”.
The majority of these people are offsprings of former immigrants from countries such as Mozambique, Malawi, Tanzania, and Zambia.
The majority of these people are either second or third-born generations who are descendants of former migrants who permanently settled in the country in periods between 1930 and 1950.
Whilst these citizens have contributed immensely to the economical growth of the country in the past years as workers, business people, and academics, they are largely excluded in governance decision-making processes as they cannot participate in voting.
Whilst efforts are being done to correct the anomaly by changing their identity documents to have them identified as Zimbabwean citizens, some say the process itself is mired in political chicanery.
“I really want to exercise the constitutional right of voting but I cannot do so as my Zimbabwean identity document identifies me as an alien hence I cannot vote even if I was born 51 years ago in this country from both parents who were also born here,” Taibu Banda told this publication
“I have tried to have this identity document changed so it identifies me as a citizen but the process is too long and I just end up just being a political supporter who does not vote,” he added.
Zanu (PF) District Coordinating Committee Chairperson for Zvimba District, Bywell Mbiri, admitted that many people in their party cannot vote due to the status of their identity documents that identify them as aliens and said his party is assisting its members in such situations to change their identity documents and register as voters.
“Yes, that issue is rampant, especially in the former commercial farms and mining areas where we had a high number of immigrants in the 50s and 60s. Their offsprings continued to be identified as aliens but we are helping them as a party so that they participate in the coming elections,” he said
Fatima Aidi, one of the aliens, said they have remained stateless even though they have national identity cards that were issued by the Zimbabwean government. This limits their access to certain services in the country.
“I think there should be an easier way that we are not labelled as aliens in the only country that we have known than to be in certain political party structures to get assisted in changing the identity documents status,” she said.
As elections day draws closer, this section of citizens hopes a quick remedy will be found to enable them to register in time as voters so that they can contribute to political decisions just as they have done to economic contributions.