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 <a href="https://cite.org.zw/tpf-demands-answers-on-passport-rip-off/">CITE</a>, 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:
<blockquote>
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.
</blockquote>
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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The Patriotic Front (TPF) party wants the government to be honest about passport contracts with Garsu Pasaulis and Semlex. Zimbabweans in South Africa have to pay a lot for passports. The fees are the highest in the region. Garsu Pasaulis has faced corruption allegations in other countries. TPF wants the government to reveal how much money these companies make from each passport. They also want to know the terms of the contract and why there was no public competition. TPF demands transparency and fairness for citizens living abroad.

The Patriotic Front Party Demands Transparency On Passport Contracts

Zimbabweans living in South Africa have expressed strong dismay over the passport fees for diasporans announced by the government, and have called for the fees to be lowered.
In a public notice issued on Friday, July 26th, Zimbabwe’s Consul General Eria Phiri announced the new passport application fees for Zimbabweans in South Africa. He said:
<blockquote>
The Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage has directed that, all e- passport applications that are processed at the Consulate in Johannesburg, South Africa shall be handled as express/ emergency applications in terms of Statutory Instrument 1 of 2024.
In effect, this means passport application fees for the express/ emergency passport shall be USD250.00 charged at the prevailing USD/ZAR exchange rate with effect from Monday 29 July 2024.
</blockquote>
An ordinary passport that takes seven days to process costs US$150 in Zimbabwe, with an additional US$20 “application fee.”
Zimbabweans based in South Africa will pay the equivalent of US$250 plus the equivalent of US$20 “application fee.”
Debating the issue on “This Morning on Asakhe,” a <a href="https://cite.org.zw/outcry-over-high-e-passport-costs-from-zimbabweans-in-sa/">CITE</a> daily current affairs programme on X, participants said the fee was steep and appealed to the government to reduce it.
A participant, Ndlovu said:
<blockquote>
This fee is exorbitant. I once applied for a passport while I was here and sent the forms back home. There are additional costs like R80 for pictures and R300 for forms, which makes the total amount very high… If only they could reduce it to at least US$170, it would be better.
The government should treat us better; we are struggling here. We appeal for a reduction in this fee.
</blockquote>
Another participant, James, said:
<blockquote>
We are very worried about this price. It’s too much. As someone who travels frequently, raising US$250 is going to be very difficult. In Rands, that amount is a lot.
I don’t know how they justify this amount. The government must help its citizens live better lives. People are not earning enough to afford this.
</blockquote>
Alfred Khumalo said:
<blockquote>
For someone to travel from Johannesburg to Harare to apply for a passport and back, it costs about R2,000 in total. This feels like manipulation.
</blockquote>
Zimbabwe’s passport fees are the most expensive in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. An adult passport costs R600 (approximately $33) in South Africa, P260 ($19) in Botswana, and R400 ($23) in Namibia.
In comparison, the Zimbabwean government has set the passport fee for its citizens at $270, which is significantly higher than the fees charged by its regional counterparts.
Zimbabwe’s passport production is being carried out in partnership with Garsu Pasaulis, a Lithuania-registered company owned by Semlex of Belgium.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Zimbabweans in South Africa are upset about high passport fees. The government increased fees to USD250 for an express passport. People say it's too expensive. They want the government to lower the price to USD170. Other countries in the region have cheaper passport fees. People are struggling to pay for passports. They want the government to make it easier for them to travel. Zimbabwe's passport production is done with a company from Belgium.

Zimbabweans In South Africa Call On Government To Reduce Passport Fees

Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Minister Mthuli Ncube made several revisions to his tax proposals in the 2024 national budget.
Ncube steered through his national budget in a sitting of parliament which concluded just before 1 AM on Friday.
In his 2024 budget statement, Ncube proposed an increase in passport fees from US$120 to US$200 starting from January 2024.
He told lawmakers that he had planned to use the money to install automated passport readers at ports of entry to remove the need for human intervention.
However, MPs objected to the proposed hike and Ncube revised the passport fees. He said:
<blockquote>
On passport fees, we have listened carefully to the contributions from the portfolio chairpersons and Hon. Members that the US$200 is on the high side, and we agree with that.
It is just that when we were having the discussions about modernising our borders, we wanted to be the first country outside Dubai to have an unmanned border post where you can walk in because now we have an e-passport with a chip in it
You can walk in and the gates open your passport is read. You do not talk to anybody. We want that equipment here by the end of 2024. We have to be modern. That is what motivated us.
It is the kind of thinking to say we need resources to support the Ministry of Home Affairs and we thought that increasing passports was one way to do this.
Someone proposed that rather than US$120 for an ordinary passport, let us make it US$150.
It is a proposal, but for the express passport, the 24-hour passport, anyone who needs it urgently is often those who can afford it.
That one should be US$250. I know one Hon. Member who proposed US$350, but let us make it US$250 and I think US$250 is okay.
</blockquote>
The budget passed with only ZANU PF MPs present after Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) MPs were ejected from parliament and banned for four sittings.
The opposition MPs were sanctioned after singing and heckling when Speaker of Parliament Jacob Mudenda announced Pedzai Sakupwanya as the new MP for Mabvuku-Tafara.
Sakupwanya won the seat by default after the CCC candidate, Munyaradzi Kufahakutizwi, who beat him only in August before he was controversially recalled by Sengezo Tshabangu, was barred by the High Court from contesting.
Parliament adjourned until 30 January 2024.
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