President Emmerson Mnangagwa has directed the Civil Registry Department to issue birth certificates to people without requesting parentage proof.
This was revealed by Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi during oral questions without notice in the National Assembly on Wednesday.
Ziyambi was responding to a question by Binga North MP Prince Dubeko Sibanda, who raised citizens’ concerns about the requirements for people to get birth certificates and national identity documents. Said Ziyambi:
His Excellency went to Tsholotsho some time ago. He sent the Minister of Local Government to the San community and they faced more or less the same problems.
After that, a discussion was done in Cabinet and His Excellency directed that everyone without a national identity document must be given one.
So, there is no problem, you can take anyone to the Registrar-General’s Office and give them the surname Biti, Biti, Biti, it is now allowed, the President has allowed it.
This comes as the Civil Registry Department is conducting a countrywide mobile registration exercise from 01 April to 30 September 2022, ahead of general elections in 2023.
During the exercise, the Department will be issuing birth certificates, death certificates and national identity documents.