Amid a worsening national cholera outbreak, civic monitors are questioning the lack of basic hand hygiene infrastructure at polling stations. The Matabeleland Institute for Human Rights (MIHR) found that none of the mobile toilets observed had handwashing stations—despite a government report indicating over 11,000 cholera cases and 230 deaths by early December.
Election day temperatures topped 33°C, intensifying health risks for voters and polling officials. MIHR is pressing ZEC to incorporate waterborne disease prevention protocols into electoral planning and infrastructure.