The opposition The Patriotic Front (TPF) party has called on the government to disclose the details of its dealings with Garsu Pasaulis and Semlex, the companies contracted to produce Zimbabwean passports.
The demand for transparency comes in the wake of the government’s announcement that Zimbabweans living in South Africa will be required to pay US$250 (approximately R4,500) to acquire passports at the country’s Consulate in Johannesburg.
When applying for a passport, either an emergency passport which costs US$250 or an ordinary passport that takes seven days to process which costs $150, applicants are required to pay an additional $20 “application fee.”
The Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage directed that all e-passport applications processed at the consulate in Johannesburg, South Africa, be classified as express/emergency applications for US$250.
According to CITE, Garsu Pasaulis, a Lithuanian company, was awarded a contract to produce e-passports for Zimbabwe in 2021 under controversial circumstances.
Since 2014, the company has been owned by Albert Karaziwan, a Belgian citizen, and Semlex Europe, a company he operates and partially owns with his family.
Garsu Pasaulis has reportedly faced allegations of bribery and corruption in Asia and several African countries.
TPF Interim Secretary-General, Prosper Ncube, said the government should disclose the share of revenue the company collects from each printed passport, among other things. Said Ncube:
We demand that the government immediately reverse this decision and provide a fair and affordable solution for our citizens living abroad.
Furthermore, we call on the government to come clean about their dealings with Garsu Pasaulis and Semlex, the companies contracted to produce our passports.
Specifically, we demand that the government provides full information on the following: the exact amount of money that Garsu Pasaulis and Semlex are getting from every passport made; the terms of the contract between the government and these companies; why the contract was awarded without a public tender; and what measures are in place to ensure these companies are not profiteering from our citizens.
We will not stand by and watch as our citizens are taken advantage of. We demand transparency, accountability, and fairness.
Zimbabwe’s passport fees are the most expensive in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.
In South Africa, a passport costs R600. In Botswana, a passport is priced at 260 Pula, and in Zambia, an express passport in Zambia costs 700 kwacha.
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