IBraille bhalothi likhangelelwe ukusungulwa ngo 2028

Sibahle Ndlovu

Amalunga edale lePhalamende asebike ukuba ukusetshenziswa kwebhalothi le Braille kumbe iTactile kukhangelelwe ukusungulwa kukhetho luka 2028.

Lokhu kuvele ngesikhathi kucutshungulwa ukutshintshwa komthetho omayelana lezokhetho iElectoral Act Amendment Bill No. 2 kuviki edluleyo.

Ibhalothi le Braille lisiza abantu abangaboniyo ukuze baphatheke kukhetho bengancediswanga ngabanye abantu.

Kuminyaka edluleyo imizamo yabantu abakhubazekileyo ukuthi bathole ibhalothi le Braille yayiwela phansi. Lokhu kuphoqa abangaboniyo ukuthi bathembele kwabanye abantu abayibo abancedisayo ekuvoteni.

Ngomnyaka ka 2018 umthethwandaba weHigh Court wenqaba isicelo sabameli ababekhokhelwa ligqwetha umnumzana Mateta bephoqa iKhomishini ebona ngezokhetho iZimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) ukuthi ivumele ukusetshenziswa kwebhalothi le Braille.

UMthethwandaba lo wanika isizatho sokuthi iZec ilohlelo lwe “Assisted Voters” oluvumela abantu abangaboniyo ukuthi bacele abantu ababathembayo ukuthi bancedise ekuvoteni.

Ekhuluma eDale lePhalamende ngoLwesine ummeli we Mutare Central Umnumzana Innocent Gonese ubike ukuthi ukuguqulwa komthetho wezokhetho kumele kuthuthukise ilungelo labangaboniyo  ekuvoteni ngokubatholisa ibhalothi le Braille abenelisa ukulibala.

“UClause 21 ukhuluma ngabantu abangaboniyo, nxa bengathola iphepha lebhalothi abenelisa ukulibala kungasiza ukuthi baphatheke ekuvoteni.  Sifisa ukuba sibe lephepha lebhalothi eleBraille kumbe iTactile ukuze labo abenelisa ukubala kuBraille bakwazi ukuvota. Kumele sinanzelele ukuthi bayakwazi ukubala lokubhala, umahluko yikuthi sibala okutshiyeneyo.

“Ngifisa ukuba iClause le ibe yingxenye yebhili kodwa iqale ukusetshenziswa kusukela ngo 2028,” kutsho uGonese.

Umphathintambo wogatsha olubona ngezomthetho umnumzana Ziyambi Ziyambi uvumelane lombono kamnumzana Gonese. Kubikwe ukuba ukuvota lokhu kuyabe kufanana lokwe Posi.

Ekhuluma emhlanganweni ofanayo, ummeli weBulawayo Central eDale lePhalamende umhlonitshwa Nicola Watson uveze ukukhathazeka okukhulu ngokungeneli komthetho wezokhetho eZimbabwe.

“Ukuqhutshwa kohlelo lokubhalisa ukuvota lokuvota kwakhona kuyasilela kakhulu nxa sikhangela ukuhlonitshwa kwamalungelo abantu abakhubazekileyo njalo kuyadanisa”, kutsho uWatson.

Okhangela ngokuthuthukiswa kwamalungelo abantu abakhubazekileyo koBulawayo umnumzana Tsepang T. Nare uthe kuyadanisa ukuba  abantu abakhethwe ukuba bamele indaba zabantu ePhalamende abaqakathekisi amalungelo abantu abakhubazekileyo.

“Imicabango ebikwe edale lePhalamende ngokusungulwa kohlelo lwebhalothi leBraille kukhetho luka 2028 ihambisana lalokhu engihlala ngikutsho ukuthi abameli bethu kwezombusazwe abasicabangeli njalo abathembekanga,”kutsho uNare.

Umnumzana Nare ubuye wagcizelela ukuthi ukusweleka kwebhalothi le Braille yindlela yokuncindezela amalungelo abantu abakhubazekileyo kuthuthukiswa amabandla ombusazwe athize.

“Kungumbono wami njalo ukuthi izinqumo ezifana lalesi esithethwe ngabameli beDale lePhalamende ziyindlela yokuthuthukisa injongo zebandla lombusazwe elithize. Isikhathi esinengi nxa kuvotwa kubanani elikhulu labantu abancediswa ukuvota, inengi kungabantu abangaboniyo.

“Ngemva kokhetho luka 2018 abacubungula lokunanzelela ukuqhutshwa kokhetho abavela phetsheya batshengisa ukukhathazeka ngesehlakalo lesi. Kwaba ngumbono wami ukuthi kungakuhle iZec kanye loHulumende baphume lemizamo ezathuthukisa ukusetshenziswa kwe Braille kanye lokufundisa uzulu ukuthi kuvotwa njani ukuze inani leli lehle,” kubika uNare.

Isisekelo sombuso sika 2013 sicacisa ukuthi “isizwe lazo zonke izingatsha zikaHulumende labameli bakaHulumende kusigaba sinya ngasinye kumele sikhuthaze ukusetshenziswa lokuthuthukiswa kwezindlela zokukhulumisana ezifanele abantu abalokugogeka ngokomzimba langokwengqondo”, kusigatshana 22 (c).

Umnumzana Mandlenkosi Siwela owe National Association for Caring Organizations for the Handicapped (NASCOH) osebenzela eMatabeleland North uthe akula sizatho esiqinileyo esingenza ukuthi ibhalothi le braille lisungulwe kukhetho oluzayo.

“Ngithanda ukuthi ngingavumelani lombono wabameli beDale lePhalamende ngodaba lokusungulwa kohlelo lweBraille bhalothi ngo 2028. Isizatho sabo ngesani?” kubuza umnumzana Siwela.

“iZec kumele ihlanganele labantu kanye lenhlanganiso esebenza labantu abakhubazekileyo ikakhulu labo abalolwazi ngokusetshenziswa kwe Braille ukuze baphume lebhalothi”, kutsho uSiwela.

uSiwela ubuye wasola ukwesweleka kwabantu abantu abanengi abakhubazekileyo abaqhatshwa yiZec okuyikho okubangela ukuthi iKhomishini le ingaqakathekisi amalungelo abantu abakhuzekileyo.

“Inkinga yikuthi iZec ayifuni ukusiqhatsha ukuthi sizokhangela indaba eziphathelane lathi. Kudala sakhuluma ngendaba lezi, satsho njalo ukuba indaba zabantu abakhubazekileyo zingcono nxa ziphathwa ngabanini bazo”, kuphawula uSiwela.

Ihlanganiso ezimeleyo ekhangela ngokuqhutshwa kwezokhetho iZimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) ithe ibhili lokutshintshwa komthetho wokhetho alikhangeli indaba eziqakathekileyo ezokhetho ezingaphambanisa imiphumela yokhetho kodwa likhangela kakhulu indababa ezincane.

Ngemva kokucubungula ibhili lokutshintshwa kwe Electoral Act inhlanganiso yeVERITAS ithe ibhili leli alihambisani lesisekamthetho seZimbabwe.