The Amalgamated Rural Teachers’ Union of Zimbabwe (ARTUZ) today petitioned the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to facilitate the voting of teachers who are going to be displaced from their polling stations as they attend to ZEC business.
Most teachers in rural schools who were engaged as polling officers for the 30th of July 2018 polls ,were only advised of where they will be stationed as polling officers after ZEC had closed the window of transferring their names on the voters roll.
“If ZEC doesn’t chip in to facilitate the voting of these teachers, tens of thousands of these citizens would have been denied their right to vote in a clear violation of Chapter 4, Part 2 of the Declaration of Rights in the Constitution of Zimbabwe, particularly Political rights in terms of Section 67 (3) (a) which guarantees that every Zimbabwean citizen who is of or over eighteen years of age has the right to vote in all elections and referendums to which the Constitution or any other law applies, and to do so in secret,” ARTUZ said.
The marginalised schools in all rural provinces are the worst affected and it is hoped that ZEC will device a mechanism to facilitate the voting of the displaced teachers.
“In future ARTUZ advises the Commission to inform polling officers of their polling stations well ahead of schedule so that they transfer their names on the voters roll.”
