Binga – Binga South legislator Hon. Fanuel Cumanzala has strongly criticized provisions contained in the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment Bill No. 3 (CAB 3), arguing that the proposed transfer of voter registration responsibilities from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) to the Registrar General’s Office could further marginalize remote communities in the Zambezi Valley.

In an interview on the sidelines of stakeholder consultations on the Bill, Hon. Cumanzala said the proposed reforms risk weakening electoral participation and undermining fair representation for rural constituencies.

“The people of Binga South and the wider Zambezi Valley have historically struggled to access basic government services, including birth certificates and national identity documents,” said Cumanzala.

“It is therefore difficult to understand why Government would seek to transfer voter registration to an institution that has not yet fully succeeded in delivering civil registration services to all citizens, particularly those in remote communities.”

The legislator argued that voter registration is not simply an administrative exercise but a critical component of the electoral process that should remain under the management of an independent constitutional body.

“Elections begin long before polling day,” he said. “They begin with voter registration, the compilation of the voters’ roll, voter education and constituency delimitation. These processes are interconnected and should remain under ZEC, whose constitutional mandate is to safeguard the integrity of elections.”

Cumanzala expressed concern that separating voter registration from electoral management could have unintended consequences for future delimitation exercises.

“Constituencies are partly assessed using population and voter distribution data. If eligible citizens fail to register because of administrative barriers, entire communities become statistically invisible. The result is weaker representation and the risk of further marginalization of rural constituencies.”

He said communities in Binga, Kariba Rural, Mbire and other peripheral areas already face unique challenges arising from geography, poor infrastructure and limited access to government services.

“The Zambezi Valley is unlike many other parts of the country. We are dealing with vast distances, difficult terrain and scattered settlements. Delimitation cannot be based on numbers alone. It must also consider remoteness, accessibility and the historical disadvantages faced by marginalized communities.”

The Binga South MP further argued that the proposal comes at a time when Parliament should be strengthening independent institutions rather than reducing their functions.

“The framers of our Constitution deliberately created independent commissions such as ZEC to protect public confidence in elections. Any move that transfers a core electoral function away from ZEC risks creating uncertainty and suspicion about the management of electoral processes.”

Cumanzala also highlighted the historical experiences of the Tonga people, many of whom continue to face developmental challenges decades after displacement following the construction of the Kariba Dam.

“Our communities have endured exclusion from development opportunities, public services and decision-making processes for generations. Electoral reforms should be designed to expand participation and representation, not create new barriers.”

He called on lawmakers to reject the proposed transfer of voter registration functions and instead focus on expanding mobile registration services, improving access to identity documentation and strengthening voter outreach programmes in rural areas.

“The solution is not to create more bureaucracy,” he said. “The solution is to bring services closer to the people. Democracy is strongest when every citizen can register, every vote counts and every community is fairly represented.”

As debate over CAB 3 continues, Cumanzala said he would advocate for amendments that strengthen electoral participation and protect the representation of remote constituencies such as Binga South.

“The people of the Zambezi Valley have suffered exclusion from development for far too long,” he said.

“We must ensure that constitutional reforms do not also exclude them from full democratic participation and fair representation.”