Many people are fearful of voting following frequent reports of often violent intimidation, but some 900 churches are standing together to build voter confidence through a national support network.
The Zimbabwe Christian Alliance (ZCA) has launched a multi-lingual voter campaign. As well as monitoring the ballot across church areas the campaign is aimed at informing, motivating and mobilising the Christian community - which constitutes 75 per cent of the Zimbabwean population - to participate and go out and vote.
Useni Sibanda, National Coordinator of the ZCA - a partner organisation of Tearfund, says the organisation has a unique approach to voter awareness which is currently being taken forward by a plethora of civil society organisations.
"The uniqueness of this programme is not that it is from a religious background but that it cuts across the language divide and is available to all Zimbabweans in their mother tongue," said Rev Sibanda.
For the first time in Zimbabwe the electorate in minority areas are able to receive voter election awareness materials in their own languages. The ZCA has translated its motivational appeals into Shona, Ndebele, Tonga and Venda. This programme has proved to be popular and its messages have been well received throughout the Christian community. The voter materials include full information on the electoral process: how to vote; individual rights; explanation on what to expect; the nature of secret balloting and assessing past record.It comes as no surprise that this weekend's elections are likely to be neither free nor fair.
Peter Grant, Tearfund's International Director
"We are empowering the people, the congregations and communities to vote without fear," says Useni. "All we have tirelessly campaigned for is for free and fair elections. The action we are taking is in respect for the principles of democracy.
