While burial orders and death certificates are being
processed daily basis at the RG’s offices across the province, the application,
processing and issuance of new passports have been suspended owing to lack of
PPE, including thermometers and sanitisers.
Presenting his report during the Manicaland Provincial
Inter-ministerial Covid-19 Taskforce meeting in Mutare last Friday to
Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Senator Monica
Mutsvangwa, chairperson for Social Welfare in the Sub-Taskforce, Mr Masimba
Machisa said there was urgent need to acquire adequate PPE for Passport Office
personnel as well as clients since operations have been halted.
He called for the availing of thermometers to ensure
clients have temperature checks before entering the premises.
“While business has normalised at all RG’s offices, it is
sad to note that passports are not yet being issued at our Mutare offices.
“There are no adequate PPEs, especially thermometers to
test clients. Business cannot resume if the matter is not addressed since
people applying for passports usually come in their numbers at the offices.
This exposes people to the virus,” he said.
Mr Machisa said the lack of thermometers was being
experienced across all RG’s offices in the province.
Provincial Registrar, Ms Joyce Munamati, confirmed the
development and said it was embarrassing that a big office like hers was forced
to suspend operations because of lack of basic apparatus like thermometers,
sanitisers and face masks.
Minister Mutsvangwa said because of the importance of the
civil registry, the Government was committed to improving service delivery.
She called for seriousness on the part of the provincial
Covid-19 taskforce.
“This is really shocking and unheard of. A whole office not
functioning because of lack of thermometers and sanitisers. People are not
being served because of this. It is quite disheartening and at the same time
demands competence on all those assigned to carry out this important national
duty.
“This is something that should have been brought to our
attention a long time ago and resources would have been disbursed to the RG’s
Office,” said Minister Mutsvangwa.
She also took the Provincial Medical Director, Dr Simon
Nyadundu to task on why his office had not intervened and availed some PPEs to
the RG’s Office so that they could not deprive people of their right to
important documents like passports.
However, Dr Nyadundu professed ignorance over the matter
and said he was hearing about it for the first time.
“I am only hearing this today. Had we known, PPEs would
have been provided and business would have been running smoothly at the offices
by now,” he said.
Manicaland Provincial Development Coordinator, Mr Edgars
Seenza advised the relevant authorities to always approach his office and
present such issues for onward transmission to the provincial resource
mobilisation sub-taskforce.
“It is quite shocking that my office was never approached
in connection with this matter. It should be known that such matters can be
dealt with through the resource mobilisation sub-taskforce. If that kind of
request had been made and directed to that taskforce, necessary intervention
measures would have been put in place to ensure that this important office
operates normally,” he said.
The Manicaland Provincial Registry Office has been recently
hogging the limelight for the wrong reasons as Ms Munamati told Home Affairs
and Cultural Heritage Minister, Kazembe Kazembe during the official opening of
the Murambinda Civil Registry Sub-office that the state of the structures at
the registry offices was embarrassing and did not reflect the importance of the
institution.
She said important civil registry documents were under threat
of being destroyed by termites and rodents that are slowly eating away wooden
cabins that house the Manicaland Provincial Registry Office in Mutare.
“We have temporary wooden structures at the provincial
office and these structures are now worn-out and dilapidated. They were
constructed with the idea that we would have permanent structures within two
years. Years later, we are still waiting for permanent structures to be
constructed. The temporary wooden structures are now heavily infested with
termites and rodents. Records are now exposed to adverse effects of these pests
and rodents,” she said.
Ms Munamati said the structures were no longer safe for
human habitation and endangered the lives of workers as they may collapse any
time. Minister Kazembe conceded that the state of the provincial offices was
shocking. Manica Post
0 comments:
Post a Comment