Four Cameroonian nationals who fraudulently acquired Zimbabwean birth certificates pleaded guilty to providing false information to the Department of Civil Registry and were each fined US$500 by a Harare magistrate, reported <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/newsday/index.php/local-news/article/200037810/amh-journo-summoned-by-police-over-6-year-old-case">NewsDay</a>.
Christiana Boyembe Dumba (39), Emile MuyaMuya (23), Tegha Marvel Ngei (28), and Yvette KumNnam (24) pleaded guilty before Harare magistrate Ruth Moyo to contravening the Births and Deaths Registration Act.
The ruling was delivered after submissions from both the State, represented by Nomsa Kangara, and the Cameroonians’ defence lawyer, Tinashe Mbale.
In mitigation, Mbale argued that the court should consider a fine as an appropriate penalty, given that the quartet had already spent five months in remand prison.
He also argued that two of his clients were recent graduates, while the others were a nurse and a teacher.
In aggravation, prosecutor Kangara argued that the crime posed a serious threat to national security.
She also said the four’s real intentions for acquiring the fraudulent identification documents remained unclear.
Furthermore, Kangara further argued that such offences undermine trust in government institutions and can compromise the accuracy of national data, potentially affecting the effectiveness of government programme.
In August 2024, the four accused conspired to fraudulently obtain Zimbabwean identification documents, including birth certificates.
They sought assistance from Tawanda Waniwa, an employee at the Registrar General’s Department at the Mount Darwin branch.
Waniwa facilitated the issuance of the fraudulent birth certificates.
Christiana Boyembe Dumba claimed her name was Christiana Mhereyenyoka, born in Chinhoyi, Zimbabwe, residing in Arcadia village, Mt Darwin Scheme, with her mother being Mwaiyadi Chipo.
Emile MuyaMuya falsely stated his name was Emile Chingwaru, claiming to be Zimbabwean by birth, born in Makonde, Mount Darwin, and residing in Matare village, under Chief Magonde in Mount Darwin.
Tegha Marvel Ngei claimed her name was Marvel Chimbwanda, born in Uzumba Maramba Pfungwe, Zimbabwe, residing in Village 2, Huyuyu Extension, Mutoko, and named her mother as Grace Chimbwanda.
Yvette KumNnam stated her name was Yvette Maini, born at Nembire Clinic, Mt Darwin, residing at 371 New Pfura Location in Mt Darwin.
Between August 27, 2024, and September 4, 2024, the accused obtained fraudulent birth certificates with false Zimbabwean names and details.
The fraudulent birth certificates and national identity cards were recovered and submitted as evidence in court.
Last year, the accused were found guilty of entering Zimbabwe without permits and using fraudulently obtained passports by a Beitbridge court.
They were warned, discharged, and ordered to be deported by the relevant authority.

Pindula News

Four people from Cameroon got in trouble for lying and getting fake Zimbabwean birth certificates. They each had to pay a $500 fine. The court said they broke the law by giving false information. Their lawyer said they had already spent time in jail and should just get a fine. The prosecutor said their actions were bad for national security and could affect government programs. They got caught trying to use the fake certificates and had to go to court. Before that, they were also found guilty of using fake passports and were ordered to leave the country.

Four Cameroonians Fined US$500 Each Over Fraudulent Zimbabwean Birth Certificates

The Civil Registry Department has trained over 5,900 village heads to issue birth and death confirmation records for people born or dying outside of healthcare facilities, a government official has said.
This initiative aims to address the challenges faced by mothers who give birth at home and relatives of those who die at home, particularly in rural areas, in accessing birth and death records.
Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Kazembe Kazembe told the Senate on Thursday that the programme is currently being piloted in Manicaland and Matabeleland North Provinces. Said Kazembe (via <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/village-heads-to-issue-birth-death-records/">The Herald</a>):
<blockquote>
My ministry, through the Civil Registry Department, is currently working towards capacitating traditional leaders in the implementation of active notification for community births and deaths.
Currently, this programme is being piloted in Manicaland and Matabeleland North Provinces. A total of 5,970 village heads have been trained.
</blockquote>
Currently, women who give birth at home are required to bring at least two witnesses to the Registrar-General’s offices to obtain birth certificates and this may discourage some from registering births.
Kazembe also said that President Emmerson Mnangagwa has directed the Civil Registry to streamline the process.
He said the President has instructed the Civil Registry not to ask too many questions and has also waived the fees that were previously required to acquire the vital documents.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

The government is training village heads to give birth and death certificates to people born or dying outside of hospitals. This will help people in rural areas who can't easily access these records. The pilot program is happening in two provinces. Currently, women have to bring witnesses to get birth certificates at the registry office, which can be hard. The President wants to make this process easier by not asking too many questions and waiving fees. This will help more people get important documents easily.

Govt Training Village Heads To Issue Birth And Death Records

The Civil Registry Department is set to despatch teams to areas that were hit by floods to replace national identity cards (IDs) and birth certificates for victims of flooding who lost their civic documents.
Last month, 51 people lost their homes in Budiriro, Harare, after the Marimba River burst its banks following a heavy downpour while close to 2 000 houses were damaged by storms countrywide.
Speaking in an interview with <a href="https://www.sundaymail.co.zw/ids-birth-certificate-replacement-for-flood-victims">State media</a>, Registrar-General Henry Machiri said every citizen had the right to access civic documents. Said Machiri:
<blockquote>
We have the floods that took place in Budiriro and Kuwadzana and we are aware that they lost property, and some also lost their documents.
We know that the people are being given alternative accommodation, and when they are in safe places the department is going to move in and issue replacement documents.
We have got people who were affected by Cyclone Idai in Chipinge and Chimanimani, and some in Bikita as well.
We had a mobile registration which specifically targeted those areas and not the whole country.
In 2022, we were in Chimanimani, Chipinge and Bikita to make sure that we gave our citizens the required documents.
We also added Tsholotsho, as they were also affected by the floods.
</blockquote>
Machiri said the department will soon start issuing death certificates for those presumed dead after Cyclone Idai. He said:
<blockquote>
There are issues of death certificates as well and according to the law, we don’t just issue a death certificate. A person is declared dead by the courts, by the judges.
Over the last two years, there have been visits to Mozambique by a team headed by the Minister of Provincial Affairs in Manicaland, which also includes stakeholders from the Ministry of Local Government, our own Minister of Home Affairs and others to investigate.
Several bodies as well as shallow graves were found there.
</blockquote>
Machiri said the Civil Registry Department will commence issuing death certificates once the victims are declared dead by the courts.
In November 2023, Attorney-General Virginia Mabiza launched a class action suit at the Mutare High Court to declare 279 missing victims of Cyclone Idai dead.
The High Court is set to legally declare the missing people dead after no one opposed the class action suit.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Budiriro Flood Victims To Get IDs, Birth Certificate Replacements

The Consulate of the Republic of Zimbabwe in Johannesburg has announced an extension of working hours for birth certificate registration and passport applications. In a statement seen by Pindula News, the Consulate General, Mr Eria Phiri, said due to increased demand, the Consulate will now operate from 08:00 to 16:00 on every working day.
In addition to the regular working days of Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, the Consulate will also be open exclusively for birth certificate registration and passport applications on two specific dates: Wednesday, 13 December 2023, and Wednesday, 20 December 2023. On these days, the Consulate will open at 08:00 and close at 15:00.
Phiri said clearances for repatriating human remains for burial in Zimbabwe will continue to be processed strictly on weekdays through the existing electronic platforms.
There are a few important points to remember:
1. All consular appointments are free of charge. 
2. The Zimbabwe Embassy in Pretoria, as well as the two Consulates in Johannesburg and Cape Town, do not have agents acting on their behalf.
To engage with the Consulate and discuss matters of mutual interest, please use the official communication channels provided:
– Facebook page: Zimbabweconsulate Boeing Road Bedfordview 
– Twitter: Zimbabweconsulatejhb 
– WhatsApp: +27828249435 
– Email: admin@zimbabweconsulate.co.za 
– Website: www.zimbabweconsulate.co.za
These channels ensure direct and reliable communication with the Consulate.
<h3><a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">More Pindula News</a></h3>

Zimbabwe Consulate In Johannesburg Extends Working Hours For Birth Certificate Registration & Passport Applications

The Zimbabwe Consulate in Johannesburg said that it will embark on mobile consular outreaches in Lesotho on 30 November and 01 December 2023.
In a public notice issued on Monday, 20 November, Zimbabwe Consul General Eria Phiri said:
<blockquote>
Please be advised that the Consulate will carry out its annual mobile consular outreach to the Kingdom of Lesotho. The Exercise will be held at the Christian Council of Lesotho (CCL) Building, 160 Constitutional Road in Maseru.
</blockquote>
The teams will be at 160 Constitutional Road, First Floor, CCL Building, Box 547, Maseru West, Maseru on 30 November and 01 December 2023.
They will be providing their services from 8.30 AM to 3.30 PM. During this period, the teams will be offering the following services:
<ul>
<li>Birth certificate registration Form – R100.00</li>
<li>Passport form processing – R300.00 </li>
<li>Temporary Travel Document (TTD) application – R500.00</li>
<li>Non-Marriage applications – R200.00</li>
<li>Section 5 – R150.00</li>
<li>Verification of public documents (Zimbabwean issued, e.g. birth certificates, death certificates, marriage certificates, passports, etc.) – R250.00</li>
</ul>
Phiri said a two-hour mop-up exercise will be undertaken on Saturday 02 December 2023. He said:
<blockquote>
The mobile teams will be operating from 0830 to 1530 hours during the stated dates. A mop exercise will be undertaken on Saturday 02 December 2023 from 8 am to 10 am thus giving way to another function thereafter. Please note that service will be given on a first-come-first-served basis.
The Consulate urges the Zimbabwean community in the Kingdom of Lesotho to advantage of this mobile exercise to regularize their documents.
Kindly visit our website at www.zimbabweconsulate.co.za for comprehensive information on application requirements.
Please take note that the Zimbabwe Embassy in Pretoria and the two Consulates, namely: Zimbabwe Consulate in Johannesburg and the Zimbabwe Consulate in Cape Town, do not have agents who act on their behalf.
For further interaction with the Consulate on all issues of mutual interest, please use the following official channels:
<ul>
<li>Facebook page: Zimbabweconsulate Boeing Road Bedfordview</li>
<li>Twitter: Zimbabweconsulatejhb</li>
<li>WhatsApp: +27828249435</li>
<li>Email: admin@zimbabweconsulate.co.za</li>
<li>Website: www.zimbabweconsulate.co.za</li>
</ul>
<img alt="Image" decoding="async" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F_cUDb4WMAAGDvd?format=png&amp;name=900x900"/><img alt="Image" decoding="async" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F_cULfkXIAAXMti?format=png&amp;name=900x900"/>
</blockquote>
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/2023/11/18/president-mnangagwa-reverses-the-appointment-of-general-valerio-sibanda-to-zanu-pf-politburo/">Pindula News</a>

Zimbabwean Consulate To Provide Vital Documents To Citizens In Lesotho

The Zimbabwe Consulate in Johannesburg, South Africa, said that it will carry out mobile consular outreaches in Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces from 09 to 25 November 2023.
In a public notice issued on Thursday, 02 November, Acting Consul General D. Shambakumanja said that during this period, the teams will be offering the following services: birth certificate registration, passport form processing, Temporary Travel Document (TTD) application, non-marriage applications, and verification of public documents (Zimbabwean issued, e.g. birth certificates, death certificates, marriage certificates, passports, etc.)
In Limpopo Province, the teams will be in Bochun, at Motlele Guest House, No1 EXT 5 Senwabarwana from 9 to 12 November 2023. They will be providing their services between 8.30 AM and 3 PM.
From 14 to 18 November 2023, the teams will be in Polokwane, also in Limpopo Province. They will be at Orpenview, 135 Orpen Road, Ivydale from 8.30 AM to 3 PM.
From 23 to 25 November 2023, the teams will be in Mpumalanga Province. The officials will be at Gerefomeerde Kerk Hoevel Posbus 541, River Cresent between 8.30 AM and 3 PM. Added Shambakumanja:
<blockquote>
The mobile teams will be operating from 0830 to 1530 hours during the stated dates. Please note that service will be given on a first-come – first-served basis.
The Consulate urges the Zimbabwean community in the two provinces to take advantage of these mobile exercises to regularize their documents.
</blockquote>
Kindly visit our website at www.zimbabweconsulate.co.za for comprehensive information on application requirements
Please take note that the Zimbabwe Embassy in Pretoria and the two Consulates, namely: the Zimbabwe Consulate in Johannesburg and the Zimbabwe Consulate in Cape Town, do not have agents who act on their behalf.
For further interaction with the Consulate on all issues of mutual interest, please use the following official channels:
<ul>
<li>Facebook page: Zimbabweconsulate Boeing Road Bedfordview</li>
<li>Twitter: Zimbabweconsulatejhb</li>
<li>WhatsApp: +27828249435</li>
<li>Email: admin@zimbabweconsulate.co.za</li>
<li>Website: www.zimbabweconsulate.co.za</li>
</ul>
<img alt="Image" decoding="async" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F9_zDbMXwAAGq0Y?format=png&amp;name=900x900"/><img alt="Image" decoding="async" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F9_zDbRWAAEiyLr?format=png&amp;name=900x900"/>
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Zimbabwean Consulate In Joburg Deploys Mobile Teams To Provide Vital Documents To Citizens

Opposition Citizens’ Coalition for Change (CCC) Treasurer-General, David Coltart, said the failure of the Registrar-General’s Office to process birth certificates and national identity cards (IDs) for two months is a ZANU PF strategy to prevent young people from voting.
Posting on Twitter, Coltart said it was unbelievable that a whole government fails to issue birth certificates and national identity cards for two months. He said:
<blockquote>
I have no doubt that this is yet another means of preventing some young new voters from being able to register to vote.
For goodness sake how can a whole Government fail to issue IDs for 2 months? The reality is without an ID one can’t register to vote.
</blockquote>
On Monday, Registrar General Henry Machiri said a system fault has halted the issuance of birth and death certificates though the documents are still being produced manually in emergency cases.
He added the issuance of passports and National Identity Documents (IDs) remains unaffected.
Machiri did not reveal when the problem is going to be rectified but said the department will be providing regular updates on the progress being made toward resolving the technical glitch.
However, an unidentified employee at one of the Registrar General’s offices in Harare told <a href="https://www.newzimbabwe.com/zimbabwe-fails-to-process-ids-birth-certificates-for-over-two-months/">NewZimbabwe.com</a> the challenges are being experienced nationwide. The staffer was quoted as saying:
<blockquote>
Since the month of September, we have not processed any documents and we cannot assist you in any way until the system is up.
We have not been told when it will be up, but all I can tell you is that even if I retrieve the application documents you submitted and hand them back.
You will not be able to get any assistance since this is being experienced nationwide.
</blockquote>

Govt's Failure To Process IDs A Vote Rigging Strategy - Coltart

The Registrar-General’s Office says a system fault has halted the issuance of birth and death certificates though the documents are still being produced manually in emergency cases.
In a statement issued on Monday, Registrar General Henry Machiri said the issuance of passports and National Identity Documents (IDs) remains unaffected.
Machiri did not reveal when the problem is going to be rectified but said the department will be providing regular updates on the progress being made toward resolving the technical glitch. He said:
<blockquote>
The Civil Registry Department wishes to inform its valued clients and stakeholders that it is experiencing technical challenges with its system, which has affected the issuance of birth and death certificates.
However, these documents are still being issued manually in emergency cases.
… The ministry of home affairs is working on a permanent solution to these intermittent system challenges
</blockquote>

System Glitch Halts Printing Of Birth And Death Certificates

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said his government is going to expedite the provision of national identity documents such as birth certificates and ID cards to communities that were affected by Gukurahundi.
Gukurahundi is a term used to refer to a military operation carried out by the North Korean-trained 5th Brigade of the Zimbabwe National Army in Matabeleland and Midlands in the 1980s which resulted in the death of an estimated 20 000 Ndebele people.
Writing in his weekly column in The Sunday News, Mnangagwa said those affected by Gukurahundi were right in feeling that they were being marginalised. He said:
<blockquote>
In my interaction with many rural communities, especially in those areas affected by disturbances which visited us in the early years of our Independence, it became very clear to me that many of our citizens did not have birth certificates, or identity cards, let alone passports.
Those affected felt they lived on the margins of citizenship, and rightly so.
For families in communities affected by the early disturbances, this amounted to a healing delay, indeed a painful reminder of the trauma they had endured and lived through, a pain which continued to manifest through their failure to access these key national documents.
Investigations revealed that this unhappy state of affairs owed to many factors, among them the onerous and rigid registration requirements the authorities demanded issuance of these vital documents by which citizenship is either validated or rendered nominal or even denied, depending on access.
The other reasons related to costs which both a centralised and city-centred service imposed on those who needed the service the most, yet afforded the costs of getting it the least.
We resolved the matter through a series of decisions which, among other measures, simplified requirements for issuance of documents; measures which brought the service closer to communities through mobile registration and issuance units, and through decentralisation and making the registration process free.
I am now happy that access to birth certificates and national identity cards has vastly improved, with many who had lived in the twilight zone of citizenship feeling they now belong and are empowered.
</blockquote>
More: <a href="https://www.sundaynews.co.zw/documents-relief-for-gukurahundi-communities/">The Sunday News</a>

Mnangagwa Promises National Documents To Gukurahundi Victims

Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Kazembe Kazembe said that the government is surprised that Zimbabweans are still queuing to get IDs and birth certificates.
The Civil Registry Department launched a countrywide mobile registration exercise on 01 April which will run until 30 September 2022.
During the exercise, the Department will be issuing birth certificates, death certificates and national identity documents.
It had become difficult for citizens to access IDs and birth certificates in the past decade.
The challenge has been attributed to a lack of adequate funds to import the materials needed to manufacture the vital documents.
Responding to a question in the Senate from Senator Tongogara, Kazembe said the Government is surprised to still see queues. He said:
<blockquote>
First and foremost, I would like to thank Honourable Senator Tongogara for the question.
Yes indeed, it also surprised us as to why people are still following long queues when the President has decentralised.
We started a program of issuing birth certificates and national identification documents and other documents under the program called mobile registration.
As we speak, the process is ongoing; officers are on the ground in all the rural areas.
I may want to inform the august House that on the 30th of May, the number of people who had acquired national registration documents exceeded 508 000, and those who acquired birth certificates were 549 000, including such documents as death certificates which are also being acquired there.
We do not know why people are now forming long queues. The program which was launched by His Excellency the President is moving smoothly.
We are in the middle of executing this program and we did not expect the queues to go away within two or three months.
The program is ongoing until September. We hope that by the time we reach September, everyone will have acquired registration documents and birth certificates for those eligible to receive such documents.
</blockquote>
<h4>More: <a href="https://openparly.com/index.php/2022/06/17/govt-surprised-people-are-still-queuing-for-ids/">OpenParly</a></h4>

Govt Surprised People Are Still Queuing For IDs

President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Saturday said that his Government has streamlined requirements for the issuance of national civic documents, that is birth certificates, death certificates and national identification cards (IDs).
Addressing ZANU PF members who had gathered for the party’s National Cell Day in Kwekwe, Mnangagwa said citizens can now get the vital documents from the Registrar-General’s office for free. He said:
<blockquote>
In the past, when one went to apply for these documents, they were asked for their exact dates of birth.
And when they failed to give the exact dates they were asked to bring along a close relative to vouch for them.
We then realised this was problematic and changed the rules.
Now we have put in place new regulations that have removed all of those requirements.
We also said there is no longer a need to pay for that document.
You now get it for free; everything is now free . . . So we have streamlined everything.
Those who do not have IDs and birth certificates should seek assistance from their local leadership and get the documents for free.
</blockquote>
<h4>More: <a href="https://www.sundaymail.co.zw/ids-registration-requirements-streamlined">The Sunday Mail</a></h4>

Govt Removes Some IDs Registration Requirements

The Registrar-General’s (RG) Office says it has issued more than 110 000 electronic passports (e-passports) to date.
The RG’s office also said it has processed more than 500 000 national identity cards (IDs) and an equal number of birth certificates since the mobile registration blitz to issue vital documents commenced on 1 April this year.
Registrar-General Henry Machiri said even though they have to grapple with the breakdown of machinery, the department is satisfied with the progress made so far. Said Machiri:
<blockquote>
As of June 3, 2022, the department has produced 110 195 electronic passports (e-passports).
This is quite commendable given that we have managed to do this in just six months.
We could have actually done better but currently, the department is experiencing challenges in the clearance of the backlog and production of machine-readable passports due to the breakdown of machinery.
Efforts are, however, underway to address the situation.
… The department is currently conducting a national mobile registration exercise which commenced on April 1, 2022.
As of May 31, 2022, the department has issued 508 886 IDs, 549 960 birth certificates and 19 037 death certificates.
</blockquote>
<h4>More: <a href="https://www.sundaynews.co.zw/100-000-e-passports-and-1-million-civic-documents-issued/">The Sunday News</a></h4>

RG's Office Issues 100 000 E-passports, 1 Million Civic Documents

The Government has waived fees for births and death certificates, national Identity Documents (IDs) and livestock brands certificates as part of measures to facilitate access to these documents during the ongoing National Mobile Registration Exercise.
In a statement, Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Kazembe Kazembe said registration requirements have also been relaxed with immediate effect. Pindula News is publishing the statement in full below:
<blockquote>
The Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage through the Civil Registry Department is conducting a national mobile registration exercise which commenced on 01 April 2022 and ending on 30 September 2022.
The programme is meant to clear the backlog on the issuance of civil registrations which was caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is also an opportunity for citizens to obtain national identity documents which will enable them to register as voters in the upcoming 2023 harmonised general elections.
To ensure that no one and no place is left behind during this national mobile registration exercise, my Ministry is glad to announce that Cabinet has approved a waiver of fees for all civil registration documents that is, birth certificates, death certificates, national identity documents and livestock brand certificates.
[These documents] are now issued at no cost during this mobile registration period.
In addition to the waiver of fees, Cabinet has also approved the relaxation of registration requirements and this is with immediate effect.
Provincial and District Registrars together with team leaders have been instructed to attend to every person and ensure that they are offered the services they require.
In line with His Excellency, President E.D. Mnangagwa’s mantra that no one and no place is left behind, I encourage fellow citizens to take advantage of this opportunity and ensure that everyone is registered.
</blockquote>
The Civil Registry Department’s National Mobile Registration Exercise will run for six months, that is, from 1 April 2022 to 30 September 2022.
<h4>More: <a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a></h4>

Govt Waives Fees For Birth & Death Certificates, National Identity Cards

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:
<blockquote>
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.
</blockquote>
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.
<h4>More: <a href="https://www.chronicle.co.zw/no-parentage-proof-to-acquire-birth-certificate/">Chronicle</a></h4>

Govt Scraps Parentage Proof Requirement For People Seeking Birth Certificates

Bad public relations at Civil Registry Department offices countrywide have been cited as one of the reasons why thousands of people do not have national documents, such as national identity cards and birth certificates.
The Government recently acknowledged that a million people need vital national documents.
Staff at the Registrar General’s offices has been accused of being rude to clients and impolitely turning away applications without any courtesy of explaining why they cannot access documents.
Godfrey Nyoni of Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) challenged the Civil Registry Department to train its employees in good public relations.
Nyoni was speaking on Thursday during the launch of an Amnesty International Report on documentation titled “We Are Like Stray Animals – Thousands Living on the Margins Due to Statelessness in Zimbabwe.” Said Nyoni:
<blockquote>
Public relations at the registry offices is an area that needs to be addressed because it’s a key issue going forward beyond statelessness.
Has anyone ever found out the qualifications of people who are employed at the registry offices?
Do they have a public relations office that looks at those issues?
We ought and must address this gap. If this aspect is not addressed, all these efforts to me are not honest.
The registry may be doing mobile registration but if its officers who are going to people have no public relations, (it will not work).
Think of the elderly who will approach them and receive negative feedback.
The elderly will just give up and that will be the end of their efforts to access documentation.
</blockquote>
Meanwhile, the Civil Registry Department will conduct 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.
<h4>More: <a href="https://cite.org.zw/bad-pr-at-registry-offices-comes-under-the-spotlight/">CITE</a></h4>

Bad PR At Registrar General’s Offices Condemned

The Civil Registry Department will conduct 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. The civil registry said in a statement on Thursday:
<blockquote>
The Civil Registry Department wishes to advise the members of the public and all its valued stakeholders that it will be conducting a national mobile registration exercise from the 1st of April 2022 to the 30th of September 2022.
This year’s mobile registration exercise comes as a backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic which affected the issuance of civil registration documents.
</blockquote>
The mobile registration of exercise will provide an opportunity for all citizens to obtain national identity documents which will enable them to register as voters in the upcoming 2023 harmonized general elections.
Mobile teams will be working from 7 AM to 5 PM while the static offices will be working from 7 AM to 7 PM and during public holidays.
<h4>More: <a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a></h4>

Mobile Registration Exercise To Start On 1 April

The Civil Registry Department will be working during weekends and public holidays during the six months mobile registration blitz set to start on 1 April and end on 30 September this year.
The blitz will be conducted at both static and mobile sites up to the end of September and people can apply for birth certificates, death certificates and national identity documents.
The registration offices will be open from 7 AM to 7 PM during weekdays and from 7 AM to 4 PM on weekends and public holidays.
The Civil Registry Department said the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic have necessitated the national mobile registration exercise. A statement issued by the Department read:
<blockquote>
The Civil Registry Department wishes to advise members of the public and all its valued stakeholders that it will be conducting a national mobile registration exercise from the 1st of April to the 30th of September 2022.
This year’s Mobile Registration Exercise comes against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic which affected the issuance of civil registration documents.
The mobile registration exercise will provide an opportunity for citizens to obtain national identity documents which enable them to register as voters in the upcoming 2023 harmonised general elections.
</blockquote>
<h4>More: <a href="https://www.chronicle.co.zw/registration-offices-to-open-during-weekends-public-holidays/">Chronicle</a></h4>

Civil Registry Offices To Open During Weekends, Public Holidays

The Central Registry was forced to reproduce an unspecified number of birth records and passports after they were destroyed by rainfall at its headquarters in Harare.
This was revealed during a visit by members of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Defence, Home Affairs and Security Services to assess service delivery at the Central Registry.
The Acting Registrar-General Henry Machiri said that a leaking roof allowed water to seep into the building’s storage and destroyed a significant number of passports and birth records. Machiri told ZTN:
<blockquote>
Some of the issues we raised with them were the issue of outstanding works that still need to be done on this building.
Recently we had rains coming in through a leaking roof and destroying some passports and other documents.
</blockquote>
Speaking after the tour, Committee Chairperson, Brigadier General (Retired) Levi Mayihlome called on relevant Government departments to expedite the completion of the building as the current situation was putting the lives of people in danger.
<h4>More: <a href="https://ztn.co.zw/leaking-roof-at-central-registry-destroys-birth-records-and-passports/">ZTN</a></h4>

Rain Destroys Birth Records And Passports At Central Registry

The Registrar-General’s Department’s failure to issue identity documents to citizens timeously has been blamed on obsolete equipment that continuously breaks.
The Department, which is battling a passports backlog dating back to last year, is also struggling to issue birth certificates and national identity cards (IDs) with only a limited number of people being served per day.
Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday, Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Deputy Minister, Ruth Maboyi said the registry machines sometimes break down resulting in the slowing of the process of issuing documents.
She said while the documentation of citizens was being extended to rural areas, resources remained a major constraint. Said Maboyi:
<blockquote>
However, you will find that in rural areas, they are giving out those documents at a very slow pace. At times we usually get a breakdown of machines.
We are actually trying to get resources so that we can go out of urban areas to do the registering of those documents.
I want to announce that in December, we are probably going to move around the whole country.
</blockquote>
Umzingwane legislator, Levi Mayihlome (ZANU PF), said there is a huge challenge in acquiring birth certificates and identity cards in Matabeleland partly “because of the previous historical situations”. He said:
<blockquote>
I think for the past three years, we have been talking about the backlog on identity cards in the southern parts of the country because of the previous historical situations and that people migrate to neighbouring South Africa resulting in many children and even adults not having identity cards.
</blockquote>
<h4>More: <a href="https://cite.org.zw/obsolete-equipment-slowing-down-the-issuing-of-identity-documents/">CITE</a></h4>

Ageing Equipment Slowing Down The Issuing Of Identity Documents

The Registrar General (RG’s) Office has reopened to the public after having scaled-down operations when the country recorded a rise in coronavirus infections.
At the peak of COVID-19 cases, the registry was mainly issuing burial orders.
Issuance of birth certificates, passports and IDs were suspended during the intensified lockdown as the Government had decongested the workplace to 20 per cent.
President Mnangagwa on Tuesday reviewed the national lockdown from Level Four to Level Two and among the new measures, the workplace operates with 50 per cent capacity.
The relaxation of lockdown regulations has seen the Civil Registry Department, commonly known as RG’s Office, increasing its services to the public and has started accepting passport applications, issuing births certificates and IDs.
In an interview with the Chronicle, Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Deputy Minister Ruth Maboyi said the reopening of the RG’s Office to the public is in line with the reviewed lockdown measures. She said:
<blockquote>
The RG’s Office had reduced its operations owing to the increase in COVID-19 cases. But since the cases have decreased it has reopened and we expect it to attend to as many people as possible and attend to their national documentation issues.
</blockquote>
She said the RG’s Office would gradually increase its services to the public and attend to existing backlogs.
Meanwhile, passport seekers in Bulawayo expressed disappointment as only a handful of applicants were being attended to.
They said officials told them that they were screening and prioritising emergency cases among the documents’ seekers.
<h4>More: <a href="https://www.chronicle.co.zw/birth-certificates-passports-issuance-resumes/">Chronicle</a></h4>

Issuance Of Birth Certificates, Passports Resumes

Some children reach school-going age without birth certificates thus making it difficult for them to be enrolled at schools moreso when they need Identity Documents later in life.
According to the Ministry of Health and Child Care, mothers can easily acquire birth records for free from the health facility a woman delivers and the records will be used to get a birth certificate at the Registrar General’s office. The Ministry said in a statement:
<blockquote>Did you know that a birth record can easily be collected for free from the health facility a woman delivers?
Every child has a right to identity: a name, nationality and family. To fulfil this right employ the following:
<ul>
<li>Following the delivery of the baby, before you get discharged, make sure you are given the BIRTH CONFIRMATION SLIP</li>
<li>It is given free of charge</li>
<li>Use this slip for the acquisition of a birth certificate for your child</li>
<li>The birth certificate is given at the Registrar General’s office.</li>
<li>Each health institution has Registrar General Sub-offices that aid all mothers with the process of receiving a birth certificate for their new babies.</li>
<li>Sub offices are in health institutions to allow you to acquire the birth certificate whilst in the hospital or on discharge</li>
<li>A birth certificate MUST be acquired within 42 days of having delivered the baby</li>
<li>Failure to do so is a criminal offence. A stage where no one should get to</li>
<li>Mother, if you are single, the law allows you as the sole guardian of the child to acquire the birth certificate for your child</li>
</ul>
ANY CHALLENGES IN THE ACQUISITION OF A BIRTH CERTIFICATE TALK TO YOUR HEALTH WORKER, THE VILLAGE HEAD, CHIEF AND THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WELFARE
Children’s rights are fundamental human rights</blockquote>

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