Government is working out strategies to clear the passport
backlog and increase daily production from the current 2 500 to 8 000, Home
Affairs and Cultural Affairs Minister Kazembe Kazembe has said.
Minister Kazembe has warned corrupt officials at the
Passport Office allegedly taking bribes to process travel documents, urging
those with evidence of such corruption to come forward so that the law could
take its course.
Minister Kazembe was speaking after a familiarisation tour
of the passport production plant at the Josiah Magama Tongogara Barracks in
Harare yesterday.
“As a ministry, we remain committed to ensuring that every
citizen who needs a passport gets one without hurdles,” he said.
“In this respect, Government has committed resources for
the purchasing of consumables so that we clear the backlog in the first half of
the year. If we are to meet our targets, we need to up our production from the
current 2 500 to 8 000 a day. For this vision and thrust to be a success, you
have to work extra hard in meeting the targets.
“In my interactions with various members of the public and
media, since I took over this portfolio, I have been inundated with calls
alleging corrupt tendencies in the Passport Office. Let me reiterate once again
that corruption in all its forms will not be tolerated and anyone caught
outside the law will be dismissed forthwith. It is incumbent upon all of us
that we deal with the few bad apples among us who are tarnishing the good name
of the department.”
Minister Kazembe described his visit to the passport
production plant as an eye opener.
He said the fee to obtain a passport remains $53 although
discussions were underway to review this and allow locals with free funds to
pay in foreign currency.
“The challenges that we have been told are real,” said
Minister Kazembe.
“However, we must also try to strike a balance because at
the end of the day access to those documents is a constitutional right so those
discussions are still going on and it’s a process to improve that. As of now
those costs have not been increased.”
Minister Kazembe was accompanied by his deputy Mike Madiro,
Registrar-General Mr Clement Masango and Deputy Registrar General Mr Henry
Machiri. Herald
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