Registrar General Tobaiwa Mudede is reported to be hunting down a member of his staff who revealed the existence of a “Stop List” to journalist Violet Gonda when she applied for a passport. The “Stop List” allegedly contains names of individuals the government would have red flagged so that they do not get passports. Gonda later received the passport after Mudede made an about turn and blamed his staff for making the error. However, at a meeting on Monday, Mudede demanded that Gonda should supply the name of the person who had served her so that he could deal with him/her. Mudede is reported to have said,
I’m still going to ask the same question that – is it really a problem to just say this is the person who served me…We want to know the name of the person who served her (Gonda) in the interests of others who may come and be served by the same person. We want to eradicate that sort of worm … and I’m speaking as the head of the department.
The issue of passports has other organs outside that control it. I am not the originator of the Stop List … just an enforcer. So, for Mudede to stand up and say we are going to fight this Stop List … I’m not going to do that!
Gonda and her attorney Denford Halimani of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights refused to reveal the identity of the staffer, arguing that they would be victimised for merely doing their job.
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More: New Zimbabwe