IEC does not discriminate against candidates' relatives
Chakalisa Dube | Thursday March 13, 2014 17:16
IEC spokesperson, Osupile Maroba was responding to an outcry from a candidate’s opponents alleging that his cousin was engaged as a registration officer at Itekeng ward in Francistown during the supplementary registration exercise.
“It would be wrong to ban anyone from working as a registration officer anywhere and everywhere they want if they qualify to be registration officers, based on the fact that they are close relatives to elections’ candidates. We would be denying them work opportunities,” Maroba said.
Maroba assured the nation that there was no way registration officers related to candidates could compromise the process.
“Stern action will be taken against all registration officers who do not follow procedure and engage in unethical conduct with regards to anything relating to the registration of voters,” he said.
He said the engagement process is straightforward and legal.
“We are doing everything as mandated by law. Until the law changes we cannot change the way we conduct some of our activities even if people question how we conduct them (activities).”
Maroba added that registration officers are thoroughly inducted to follow procedure and informed about the consequences of not abiding by voter registration regulations.
Moreover, after the registration process, the voters’ roll is distributed to all stakeholders including election candidates to inspect in a bid to guard against voter trafficking.
The IEC spokesperson revealed that there has not been any activity reported regarding the stealing or missing of voter registration books this time around.
Towards the 2009 general elections there was a report of an IEC registration officer who was attacked and had four used registration books stolen from her before she submitted them for documentation by the IEC.
The books were never recovered.
“Each voting card issued during registration has a serial number.
In cases where the books have been lost after registering, we usually inform people who hold serial numbers corresponding with those in stolen books to approach the nearest IEC office to register again,” Maroba said,
For years the security of voter registration officers has come under scrutiny but Maroba still maintains that the IEC is doing everything as mandated by law.
The registration materials are in the possession of officers during the entire duration of registration.
“In very isolated areas we do inform the police to regularly patrol those areas, when registration is taking place.
Even during induction, registration officers are informed to, at all costs, be vigilant with regards to the security of the registration documents,” said Maroba.