Zimbabweans based in South Africa have welcomed the decision by the Government to establish e-passport and national identity card application and enrolment centres in Cape Town and Johannesburg.
The Registrar General’s Office recently announced that the centres will be opened in the two South African cities before the end of 2023.
Currently, Zimbabweans living in South Africa who need passports can access application forms for the passports in the neighbouring country but have to travel back home to submit the forms.
Speaking to The Sunday News, the chairman of the Zimbabwean Community in South Africa Ngqabutho Mabhena said the move was a welcome development. He said:
We welcome the move by the Zimbabwean Government to allow access to passports in Johannesburg and Cape Town because previously people have been struggling.
They were able to access application forms for the passports but to have them submitted at the passport offices in Zimbabwe was the challenge, if you are a Mabhena, a person with the same surname had to submit your papers and it was problematic.
We are glad that people will now be able to get their passports from here.
Christine Mainato who resides in Johannesburg, said that applying for passports has been a nightmare. She said:
All these years, we had to return home two months before your passport expires and apply for one and return to South Africa while it is being processed.
Some were then forced to apply for emergency passport services which were too expensive for most of us.
This is because we never had the luxury of staying for a month in Zimbabwe waiting for the passport due to work commitments.
But I am glad now we can do it from where we are.
She said she will be able to even apply for e-passports for her children born in South Africa who did not have the travel documents.
According to the Civil Registry Department of Zimbabwe, more than 100 000 e-passports have been issued since the introduction of e-passports in January 2022.
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