By Jane Mlambo| The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) commissioners are set to fly to the resport town of Victoria Falls splashing thousands of dollars for a retreat at a time President Emmerson Mnangagwa has proclaimed date for the impending by-elections.

The retreat will be held at Elephant hills hotel from 9 to 15 January.

The retreat comes at a time the national voters roll is in shambles with by-elections to fill 18 seats left vacant following the death or recall of legislators by both Zanu PF and the opposition MDC.

According to a memo leaked to ZimEye, ZEC secretariat will travel by road to Victoria Falls stopping over in Bulawayo in what has been described as a waste of state resources that could have gone towards mobilizing citizens to register to vote as per the mandate of the commission.

“ZEC will be conducting a workshop on the preparedness for the by-elections, voter registration and delimitation programmes. The workshop will be held in Victoria Falls at Elephant Hills hotel,” reads the memo.

“Chairperson, Commissioners, CEO, DCEO KMC/ Director ICT and secretary to the Commission will travel by air on 9 January 2022 and return on 16 January 2022,” reads the memo.

“Mt Darwin, Muzarabani, Guruve, Mbire, UMP, Mudzi, Mutoko will travel on the 8th of January 2022 from their stations to Harare and put up there. PEO Manicaland, Mashonaland West, Bulawayo, DEO Chitungwiza, Hwange, Matobo, Bindura,Kwekwe,Hurungwe , UMP, Bulawayo kindly make sure that you travel with the junior national workers committee representative in your respective provinces and districts.

“Manicaland Province to travel to Bulawayo on 8 January 2022 and put up in Bulawayo.
Masvingo, Manicaland South and Matabeleland North will travel 9 January 2022 in the morning to Bulawayo.”