Published: 04 July 2019

THE Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (Zec) has appointed, Mr Utoile Silaigwana, as the substantive Chief Elections Officer taking over from Mrs Constance Chigwamba.

Mr Silaigwana's appointment is effective from July 1.  

Prior to his appointment he was the acting Chief Elections Officer since March 2018 during which he presided over the 2018 harmonised elections.

His appointment comes after interviews held on March 15. In a statement yesterday Zec chairperson, Justice Priscilla Chigumba, confirmed the appointment.

"The Zec is pleased to announce that it has appointed Mr Utloile Silaigwana as the substantive Chief Elections Officer with effect from 1 July 2019. Mr Silaigwana has 17 years of experience in election management, having served in the Electoral Supervisory Commission (ESC) between 2002 and 2005 as a provincial director," she said.

Mr Silaigwana was then seconded to Zec at its inception in 2005 as a director civic and voter education, public relations and international liaison. He was subsequently appointed to a senior position of Deputy Chief Elections Officer responsible for operations in 2007.

He is a holder of several qualifications including a Bachelor of Science degree in Education from University of Zimbabwe, Masters in Electoral Policy and Administration (MEPA) attained from Scuola Superiore Santa Anna University in Italy.  

Mr Silaigwana is also a Building Resources in Democracy Governance and Elections (BRIDGE) accredited facilitator and has facilitated training in several countries in the Sadc region. He is also a holder of several certificates in election management, observation, elections and violence and conflict resolution and a certificate in Leadership and Dialogue for Electoral Stakeholders.  

Mr Silaigwana has also observed elections under the AU Election Observation Mission, ECF-Sadc and Association of Africa Electoral Authorities in Rwanda, Nigeria, Egypt, South Africa, Zambia, Ghana and Namibia.

"Mr Silaigwana's diverse administration experience at senior level management levels makes him invaluable to Zec," said Justice Chigumba.
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