31 July 2013 Situation Room Press Statement – 2pm
Voting Issues (voting irregularities, voter integrity, identification issues)
I. Special Voting issues-Chief Assembly Polling Station, Umguza: About 400—500 uniformed and plain clothes police in queues as special voters, possible intimidation and slowing down process
II. Gwanda Ward 1: Police in the queue but do not appear on voter’s roll
III. Stanley Hall and St. Patricks Primary School: Separate queues for Special Voters, slowing down the voting process.
IV. Voters Registration identity details appearing in more than 1 ward’s voters’ roll, thus risks of double voting
V. Registered Voters turned away for various reasons; not appearing on the voters’ roll among other issues. Magwegwe Creche most registered voters were turned away for not appearing on the voters’ roll, issue resolved at around 0900hrs
VI. Inkuba Pry School in Nkayi North, voting proceeding but no means to check Special Voters and Ink detector without batteries
VII. KoDlamini, Mbuhulu, Tsholotsho 100 people voted by 1000hrs; 4 people turned away, 1 registered in another ward and the other 3 without proof of registration.

ZEC staffing Issues
I. Unverified: Umguza Ward 19 Nyamandlovu Primary school, polling officers teaching people to vote behind the polling booth
II. Voting very slow at Mhali Primary School with one copy of Voters’ Roll and voters are surprised at the number of elderly people in the queue who have not brought their own assistants thus having to be assisted, Mazwi primary school in Magwegwe and Paddonhurst Centre.

Polling Station Administration (opening/closing times)
I. Hlangabeza Secondary Sch, Nkayi South: Ink has not yet arrived, voting not yet started as at 0900hrs
II. Number 1 Iminyela Polling Station, Ward 12 Helemu Primary School opened were delayed, Pelandaba Hall opened at 7.30am, Makokoba opened at 7.15am at JB Shopping Centre.
III. Sengezane polling station in Gwanda central – ballot boxes and ballot booths were not on site by 6.30am.
IV. Ntepe, Gwanda central ward 14 no ballot boxes at polling station at 6am
V. Polling stations varying in terms of lengths of queues. Some polling stations with long queues some with short queues within the same constituency. (issue of inadequate advertising of polling stations)
VI. Datata primary school in ward 2 Gwanda – police officer inside polling station at 7.43am.
VII. There are two voting points at Amhlophe high school and polling station opened at 7.30am. 6 police officers outside polling station.
VIII. Filabusi primary school polling station opened late at 7.30am.
IX. Newton West at Jocks supermarket polling station. First person to vote at 7.20am.
X. Lighting in Tents: Northend and Tshabalala Extension, Joks Tent in Newton West – it is dark inside the tent.

Security Issues (intimidation issues, harassments, fear and tension)
I. Many polling stations report police officer inside the polling stations, e.g Datata Pry Sch in Gwanda, Ward 2, Bulawayo Ingubo Pry Sch A, Ward 2
Positive Issues
I. Nkankezi primary school polling station in lobengula ward 14 opened at 7am. Ballot papers were there by 7am. All party polling agents present. Polling officials 95 men and 5 women)
II. Magwegwe ward 29 opened at 7am.
III. Elderly people being assisted by people of their choice

Other Issues
I. Posters within 50m radius of polling stations, e.g Ntshamathe Pry, @ 0715 posters not yet removed from about 50m from polling station gate. Insiza beer garden posters were removed after 7.00am under police supervision.
II. Council Candidates for Gwanda ward 1 and ward 10 reportedly denied time to analyze voters’ roll on the 30th of July, 2013
III. Some political parties with more than one agent in each polling station, e.g. in a polling station in Nketa, 3 agents requested two to be inside and one to be ‘turned’ into an observer.