Pro-Democracy Campaigner Namatai Kwekweza Finally Given National ID
Pro-democracy campaigner Namatai Kwekweza has finally received her new national identity card from the Registrar-General’s Office after being initially denied the document due to her inclusion on a “Stop List.”
Her lawyers, Tinashe Chinopfukutwa and Kelvin Kabaya from Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights sent a letter on November 14, 2024, to Registrar-General Henry Machiri.
In the letter, they protested the unlawful refusal and emphasized that Kwekweza’s right to a national identity card, as guaranteed under the Zimbabwean Constitution, had been violated.
The lawyers argued that, as a Zimbabwean citizen, Kwekweza was entitled to a national identity card regardless of any pending charges.
They pointed out that even convicted prisoners are entitled to hold an ID card, and Kwekweza had been acquitted in 2021 of the charges that had originally placed her on the “Stop List.”
They provided Machiri with a 48-hour deadline to allow Kwekweza to replace her identity card, warning that failure to comply would result in legal action, with Machiri personally liable for any unnecessary litigation costs.
On November 25, 2024, Registrar-General Henry Machiri, through Assistant Registrar-General Ben Mpala, responded by inviting Kwekweza to report to the RG’s Office to collect her new national identity card.
She was instructed to bring her original birth certificate, a copy of it, and a receipt for the replacement fee.
On Thursday, December 5, Kwekweza visited the RG’s Offices and successfully obtained her new identity document.
More: Pindula News
