It is now only four days before we decide our future as Zimbabweans. Yesterday the 25th of July 2018, Vendors Initiative for Social and Economic Transformation (VISET) hosted a training workshop for Socio-Economic Champions (SOCHAMPS) Networks in Chiwundura House of Assembly constituency at Muchakata Council Hall. The purpose of the event was to train SOCHAMPs on the latest electoral laws, procedures and other Election Day information that will be pertinent for them to know in order to educate other citizens on how to vote and why exercising their right to vote is important on the 30th of July 2018. The training was led by VISET Secretariat, and was attended by over 155 informal traders and members of the public (80 males, 75 females).
The event lasted for over 4 hours due to the huge number of participants who turned out to attend the workshop. The main theme of the training was to encourage citizens to ‘Go out and Vote’ under the banner of the #GoZim Campaign using the hush tags #WeVoteWeSecure on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp. VISET already conducted voter education programming through its SOCHAMPS network during the BVR blitz and this project continues to build upon that progress. The training intervention also covered the following agenda items, What constitutes a legitimate vote, Strategies to protect the vote in rural settings, The roles and responsibilities of the police during and after an election, The notion of democracy, The notion of citizen participation on the voting day, What is needed on the voting day for example National ID, Valid Passport and a voter’s slip, The role of social media (WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter) during an election, The things which are not allowed at a polling station for example party regalia and party posters, Citizen reporting and monitoring, The Dos and Don’ts on the Election Day, and issues around people to be allowed to be in a polling station
Tomorrow, Friday the 27th of July VISET, As part of public awareness-raising efforts, will host a meet the candidates indaba dubbed “Vendors Street Parliaments” at the Midlands Hotel in Gweru. Street parliaments are engagement platforms where street vendors and ordinary people will engage in dialogue with electoral candidates running for parliament and council seats to discuss their election platforms, and specifically their plans for vendors and the informal sector.
Source: Vendors Initiative for Social and Economic Transformation (VISET)
