Although the passport office is offering an efficient
service to the public, syndicates comprising illegal vendors, taxi drivers and
money changers, who ply their businesses outside the premises, are taking
advantage of the increasing number of applicants to solicit for money.
Growing publicity on the excellent service being offered by
the passport office in Harare, has attracted more passport applicants, a
development that has resulted in long queues emerging.
Over 600 people are being served daily and others have to
complete the process the following day.
The passport office starts the day by serving those who
would have failed to complete the process the previous day before entertaining
new applicants.
The corrupt syndicates are now making a killing,
approaching late comers who appear too busy and impatient, and offering to
assist them in jumping the queue for a fee.
Instead of publicly marketing their dirty service, the
touts have devised a new method of observing the applicants as they enter the
premises, following them to the back of the queue.
They discourage people from following the queue, accusing
the officers of delaying the process.
Later on, the touts start marketing their tainted services,
describing it as a faster and hassle-free way of acquiring the travel document.
The Herald last week deployed journalists who went
undercover with a view to get an appreciation of the situation at the passport
office.
Upon arrival at the offices, the journalists joined the
long queue.
While in the queue, a scruffy lad whispered to one of the
reporters that the process was slow.
“You may not be served today because of this long queue. Again the system
is currently offline and it will take time to be fixed,” said the young man as
he pulled the reporter by the hand.
While off the queue, he offered the journalist a position
right in front of the queue.
“We have our boys in the queue and you choose where you
want to be and be served quickly,” he said.
Immediately, a young woman with a baby strapped on her back
arrived and took over the case, charging the reporter US$20 for the same
favour.
“Just pay us US$20 and I will take you to that boy putting
on a white cap,” she said.
While the reporter was talking to the woman, the shabby lad
went back to the queue to get more clients.
The woman insisted she could not charge less because she
had braved the early morning cold to join the queue together with her baby.
“As you can see, I have a young baby but I sacrificed to be
here as early as 5am. I cannot charge less than US$20,” she said.
After negotiations, the fee was reduced to US$10.
The reporter expressed some interest and he was taken to
the bench on the front row where a boy wearing a white cap offered him a seat.
People in the queue were in the dark and they could not
even complain.
However, the reporter, who already has a valid passport,
left the bench as if he wanted to collect the US$10 from his car before driving
off after the mission had been accomplished.
The Herald established that the syndicate involves vendors,
taxi drivers and money changers who operate outside the new passport building.
They engage in the corrupt activities to supplement their
income.
However, people who spoke to The Herald yesterday could not
hide their joy at the service they got at the passport office.
Mr Derrick Ncube said it took him two days to complete the
process but he was happy with the service.
“I came yesterday a bit late but they attended to me.
Because of the increasing number of applicants, I had to complete the process
today.
“We were the first to be served before the new applicants
were attended but I am so happy. The service is just good,” said Mr Ncube.
An elderly woman who preferred anonymity hailed the Civil
Registry Department for an excellent service.
“I am a senior citizen and the officers here treated me
well. I was served without joining the queue and it took me less than an hour
to complete the passport application process.
“The service was simply excellent,” she said.
Ms Mitchelle Neshato praised the officers for a good
service but called for an improvement on the electronic system maintenance.
“The system, at times is offline and there is need for an
improvement in that respect to prevent technical glitches and unnecessary
delays,” she said.
The new e-passport was launched by President Mnangagwa in
December last year.
Issuance of e-passports began on January 18 as the Central
Registry Department heeded Government’s directive to smoothen the process of
acquiring travel documents which hitherto was mired in corrupt tendencies and
bureaucracy.
The launch of the e-passport and the state-of-the-art
passport enrolment centre, is in line with the Government’s vision for a modern
and digitalised economy.
Strategic investment in key areas of the digital economy is
seen as a critical way of Zimbabwe keeping pace with the dynamic technological
environment.
When he launched the e-passport, the President said the
rolling out of the travel document dovetailed with the National Development
Strategy 1 (NDS1) objective of modernising the economy through the use of ICTs
and digital technology.
The production of the e-passport ushered the country’s
entry into the era of smart technology in travel and identification documents
and conforms with the dictates of regional and international conventions,
protocols and treaties that Zimbabwe is party to, particularly those relating
to civil and travel documents.
The International Civil Aviation Organisation Convention
requires that member states take measures to ensure the integrity, authenticity
and security of travel and identity documents.
The e-passport will be machine readable to eradicate
counterfeits.
The enhanced security features are expected to boost
authorities’ quest in fighting cross-border organised crimes and illegal
migration and maintain the integrity of the country’s immigration system.
President Mnangagwa is on record saying the Government was
committed to ensuring that every citizen has easy access to vital civil
registration and travel documents.
He said he was alive to the challenges people had been
experiencing in acquiring travel and other official documents, resulting in the
accumulation of a huge backlog.
The implementation of the biometric system is now at full
throttle and is expected to culminate in increased production of not just
e-passports, but also national identity cards, birth certificates, entry visas
as well as residence permits.
The era of long queues and corrupt tendencies in the
issuance of vital civil registration documents is set to be eradicated by this
system. Herald
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