Registrar-General Mr Clement Masango yesterday dismissed
social media reports alleging that passport fees are set to be increased soon,
saying Government had a well-structured method of conveying such messages.
In an interview, Mr Masango said production of passports resumed
last Friday afternoon after a system malfunction owing to a technical fault.
“There have been reports on social media alleging that
passport fees will be hiked,” he said. “That is not true. I am concerned as the
Registrar- General that some people seem to thrive on creating controversy
meant to instil alarm and despondency in society.
“This kind of behaviour must be condemned in the strongest
terms. To members of the public, I would want to say it is not Government
practice to communicate official matters through social media. There are no
plans to revise passport fees upwards as alleged by the social media.”
According to the online reports, fees for a normal passport
were set to rise from $53 to $253. It had also been reported that fees for an
urgent passport would go up from $253 to $800.
The reports of a passport fee review coincided with a
temporary halt in the issuance of passports due to the technical fault.
“The stoppage was as a result of system malfunction,” said
Mr Masango. “It was rectified and by Friday afternoon production had resumed.
There is, therefore, no need for members of the public to panic.
“The situation is under control and production of passports
has since resumed after that temporary setback. As a department, we want to
apologise to our stakeholders for the inconvenience that they went through as a
result of that stoppage.”
The RG’s Office is working round the clock to clear a
passport backlog which has also been spawned by escalating for the prized
document.
The Passport Office has also had to content with limited
financial resources to procure consumables, thereby taking longer to clear the
backlog.
The office is on record as expressing its commitment to
clear the backlog, which has been characterised by long and winding queues at
the Central Registry in Harare.
The long queues have also created a fertile ground for rent
seeking behaviour, with some unscrupulous people cashing in on desperate
passport applicants. Herald
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