LONG winding queues have resurfaced at the Civil Registry offices in Bulawayo as scores of people including Diasporans on holiday continue to flood the facility to apply for passports and other national identity documents.
The sudden increase in the number of people streaming to
the Civil Registry could probably be attributed to the hike in passport fees in
January coupled with the festive season when most people would be planning on
travelling out of the country for a holiday.
The new passport application fee was recently announced in
the 2024 national budget proposal by the Minister of Finance, Economic
Development and Investment Promotion, Professor Mthuli Ncube.
The Civil Registry Department charges US$120 for ordinary
passports, which takes seven working days to be out while an emergency or
express passport costs US$220 and comes out within 48 hours.
The Treasury had initially proposed to review passport fees
for an ordinary passport to US$200 but later slashed it to US$150 following
public concerns.
Following the sudden rush for passports, the Civil Registry
Department extended the working hours of all its e-passport offices across the
country.
When a Chronicle news crew visited the Civil Registry
offices in Bulawayo yesterday, there was a hive of activity with long queues,
which are synonymous with the festive season.
Usually during this time of the year, hordes of people,
among them diasporans, swarm the Civil Registry offices across the country to
apply for travel documents.
In interviews, some applicants said they had queued for
more than 10 hours to apply for passports while others said they were forced to
sleep outside the building to beat the queues.
“I have been coming
here for the past two days. I am trying to beat the congestion as well as the
increase in fees. I am trying to save the little that I have so that I enjoy
Christmas with my family and possibly get an opportunity to travel abroad,”
said Mr Pride Dube.
Some people alleged that Civil Registry staff were
prioritising those applying for emergency passports and deliberately ignoring
ordinary passport applicants.
“The staff are on a go-slow and we have to wait for long
hours. We are in the wet season now and you can imagine waking up early and
getting soaked while standing in the queue,” said Mr Leeroy Khumalo with a long
face.
Another applicant, Ms Sithabisiwe Ngwenya said: “This is a
tiresome process and although we are aware that they have extended the working
hours, their pace is slow. What is the point of extending when they are going
to just serve a few people?”
Mr Butholezwe Sibindi, who is based in South Africa, said
he had been queuing since Friday last week.
“I came from South Africa with the hope that things had
improved but alas it is still the same story. This is disappointing because I
have been stuck in these long queues for days instead of spending quality time
with my family,” he said.
In a statement, the Civil Registry Department said it has
extended working hours for all its offices across the country’s 10 provinces.
“The Civil Registry Department wishes to advise its
valuable clients that it has extended its working hours in the passport section
with immediate effect. The passport offices will be open from Monday to Friday
from 7am to 7pm during weekdays and from 8am to 3pm on Saturdays,” read the
statement.
The department said the extension of working hours is in
response to an increase in the number of clients visiting their passport
offices.
“The festive season is the busiest period for the
department. With industry and schools closed, and returning citizens from the
diaspora taking advantage of their visit to have their documents processed, the
department witnesses an influx of clients visiting its passport offices,” read
the statement.
The department said the recent announcement by the
Government to increase passport fees with effect from January has also
contributed to clients rushing to apply for passports before the deadline.
“In this regard, the department is extending its operating
hours to facilitate efficient e-passport services in response to the high
demand.”
E-passports are issued in Harare, Bulawayo, Chinhoyi,
Gwanda, Gweru, Lupane, Marondera, Beitbridge, Chipinge, Chitungwiza, Hwange,
Mazowe, Mwenezi and Zvishavane civil registry offices.
Passport applicants are supposed to bring their original
birth certificates, national identity documents, and marriage certificates.
The Registrar General Mr Henry Machiri said during the
festive season, the numbers swell with most of the applicants being diasporans
and school children.
“The festive season is our busiest in terms of passport
applications, and most of our citizens who are in the diaspora want to apply
for documents. Schools have closed and so we are expecting all these people to
be coming now since they need to be there physically for biometrics,” he said.
“So, the number will increase since most people want to
beat the deadline to avoid paying more money. In the proposed national budget,
the fees for passports will increase in the coming month and some people want
to beat the deadline and submit their applications now.”
Mr Machiri urged people whose passports are ready to visit
their offices and collect the documents.
The e-passport scheme was launched by President Mnangagwa
in December last year after the Government entered into a partnership with a
Lithuanian company, Garsu Pasaulis, on a build, operate, and transfer (BOT)
basis to produce new passports that meet modern international standards and
allow Zimbabweans to travel without additional complications.
Before the opening of the facility in Bulawayo, e-passports
were obtained in Harare only.
The implementation of the e-passport project resonates with
the National Development Strategy One (NDS1) objective of modernising the
economy through the use of ICTs and digital technology, as the country rallies
towards the attainment of Vision 2030. Chronicle
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