The Government has pledged to exercise extra due diligence in the issuance of passports within South Africa and other foreign countries, to ensure that such documents are only provided to bona fide Zimbabwean citizens.
This was said by Transport and Infrastructural Development Minister Felix Mhona, who was acting Leader of Government business in Parliament on Wednesday, June 26.
In response to a question from Silobela Member of Parliament Jonah Nyevera of ZANU PF, who had inquired about the measures implemented by the Government to ensure that only Zimbabwean citizens benefit from the facility, Minister Mhona said:
<blockquote>
I want to assure the August House that we have our Embassy in that respective country, where they do due diligence before issuance of passports.
Whatever they will be doing in the foreign land, they will be corresponding with officials in Zimbabwe and in this particular case, our headquarters here in Harare.
I want to assure the Honourable Member that transparency, accountability and due diligence will be upheld.
</blockquote>
The Consul-General at Zimbabwe’s Embassy in Johannesburg Eria Phiri recently revealed that the consulate was conducting a trial run of the electronic passport (e-passport) processing centre. He said:
<blockquote>
The trial run will allow the Consulate to gauge the level of system responsiveness and effectiveness in a real-world environment before the full rollout to the public.
</blockquote>
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Pindula News

Govt Pledges Due Diligence In Passport Issuance In South Africa

Statement by the Consul-General at Zimbabwe’s Embassy in Johannesburg Eria Phiri on Consulate relocation and the roll-out of the e-passport processing centre:
<blockquote>
CONSULATE RELOCATION/ CHANGE OF PHYSICAL ADDRESS AND UPDATE ON THE ROLL OUT OF THE E-PASSPORT PROCESSING CENTRE IN JOHANNESBURG
Reference is made to the above captioned and the Consulate’s Public Notice dated 15 June 2024 on the rollout of the E-Passport Processing Centre in Johannesburg.
The Consulate wishes to advise members of the public that it will relocate from 13A Boeing Road West, Bedfordview, Johannesburg to 20 Ernest Oppenheimer Road, Bruma, Johannesburg with effect from 24 June 2024.
Please be further advised that the System Test/Trial Run period has been extended from 21 June 2024 until further notice.
As already communicated in our previous Public Notice dated 15 June 2024, clients interested in participating in the trial run should take note of the following conditions, prior to visiting the Consulate (at its new address): –
1. The Cost of the E-Passport in Johannesburg: – In compliance with Statutory Instrument 1 of 2024 (Citizenship (Passport Fees) (Amendment) Regulations, 2024 (No.1) the cost of the Ordinary Passport shall be USD150.00 converted to South African Rands on the basis of the previous week’s average USD/ZAR exchange rate.
2. An additional fee of USD20 shall be charged for every electronically readable passport application to obtain a quick response (QR) code (the same conversion rate as in 1 above shall apply.
3. The E-Passport application requirements will be as follows:
<ul>
<li>Original Birth Certificate</li>
<li>Original Identity Document (ID), (metal, plastic or paper IDs are acceptable).</li>
<li>Passport, needed if it is valid. It is not required if it is expired.</li>
<li>Original Marriage Certificate (for married women).</li>
</ul>
N.B: Photos/pictures are not required when applying for an E- Passport.
4. Turn-Over Period/Date of Collection of the E-Passport in Johannesburg: the E-Passport is expected to be ready for collection at the Consulate (at its new address) after seven (7) working days.
Please take note that the trial run will run parallel to the old passport application system.
For further interaction with the Consulate on issues of mutual interest, please use the following official channels: –
<div class="in_article">
<div>
<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>
<li>Hotline/ Emergency Line: +27664873806</li>
</ul>
Please 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.
</div>
</div>
</blockquote>
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Zimbabwe's Consulate In Joburg Relocated, E-Passport Trial Run Period Extended

The Zimbabwean Consulate in Johannesburg, South Africa, is conducting a trial run of the electronic passport (e-passport) processing centre.
In a public notice, the Consul-General at Zimbabwe’s Embassy in Johannesburg Eria Phiri said the the roll-out of the e-Passport Processing Centre will be in two stages. Reads the statement:
<blockquote>
<h2>ROLLOUT OF THE E-PASSPORT PROCESSING CENTRE AT THE CONSULATE IN JOHANNESBURG</h2>
Reference is made to our Public Notice dated 15 March 2024 on the roll-out of the e-Passport Processing Centre in Johannesburg.
The Consulate is pleased to advise that it has begun the gradual and phased rollout of the e-Passport application process. The rollout will be in two stages and the anticipated timelines will be as follows: –
<h2>Phase 1: System Test/ Trial Run</h2>
The rollout is currently in its first phase, which entails preliminary processes, among them; the training of Consulate staff (successfully concluded on 15 June 2024) and the System Test/ Trial Run period, which is scheduled to commence from 18 to 21 June 2024.
The trial run period will be open to a limited number of clients, randomly chosen from the existing pool of clients visiting the Consulate at 13 A Boeing Road West, Bedfordview, for passport application under the outgoing system.
The trial run will allow the Consulate to gauge the level of system responsiveness and effectiveness in a real-world environment before the full rollout to the public.
<h2>Phase 2: Full rollout and opening of the e-Passport Processing Centre to all members of the public.</h2>
Before the conclusion of the System Test/ Trial Run Period, i.e. 21 June 2024, the Consulate will issue another public notice with information on the operationalization of the e-Passport Centre to all members of the public.
Clients interested in participating in the System Test/ Trial Run during the period 18 to 24 June 2024, should take note of the following conditions, prior to visiting the Consulate: –
1. The Cost of the e-Passport in Johannesburg: In compliance with Statutory Instrument 1 of 2024 (Citizenship (Passport Fees) (Amendment) Regulations, 2024 (No.1) the cost of the Ordinary Passport shall be USD150.00 converted to South African Rands on the basis of the previous week’s average USD/ZAR exchange rate.
2. An additional fee of USD20 shall be charged for every electronically readable passport application to obtain a quick response (QR) code (the same conversion rate as in 1 above shall apply.
3. The e-Passport application requirements will be as follows:
<ul>
<li>Original Birth Certificate</li>
<li>Original Identity Document (ID), (metal, plastic or paper IDs are acceptable).</li>
<li>Passport, needed if it is valid. It is not required if it is expired.</li>
<li>Original Marriage Certificate (for married women).</li>
</ul>
4. Turn-Over Period/Date of Collection of the e-Passport in Johannesburg; the e-Passport is expected to be ready for collection at the Consulate after seven (7) working days.
5. The mode of payment for the e-Passport will be communicated to all participants on selection.
Please take note that the trial run will run parallel to the old passport application system.
For further interaction with the Consulate on 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>
<li>Hotline/ Emergency Line: +27664873806</li>
</ul>
Please 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.
</blockquote>
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Zimbabwe Commences Trial Run Of Electronic Passport Processing Centre In Joburg

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 Zimbabwean Consulate in Johannesburg, South Africa, will be closed on Monday 20 March 2023 because of a planned national shutdown announced by the opposition EFF led by Julius Malema.
In a public notice dated 18 March 2023, Acting Consul General C. Murahwa said the consulate will reopen on Tuesday, 21 March 2023. Part of the notice reads:
<blockquote>
The Consulate wishes to inform members of the public that as a precaution, and in the interest of public safety, it will be closed on 20 March 2023.
The situation has been caused by circumstances beyond our control. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.
The Consulate will reopen for business on 21 March 2023, as per the working hours specified in its Public Notice on Extended Working Hours dated 9 March 2023.
Kindly be informed that all appointments, which were scheduled for the 20th of March 2023, have been cancelled.
All affected clients have been advised by email and were requested to rebook new appointments, at the earliest convenient date.
As usual, the booking platform will open for new bookings every Wednesday at 1600 hours.
</blockquote>
More: <a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Zimbabwean Consulate In Joburg To Shut Down On National Shutdown Day

The Helen Suzman Foundation (HSF) said that it was concerned about the allegations of corruption at the Zimbabwe consulate office in Cape Town.
Angry Zimbabwean citizens stormed the consulate office on Wednesday, accusing them of taking bribes in order to issue their identity documents, <a href="https://ewn.co.za/2023/03/16/hsf-concerned-about-corruption-claims-at-zim-consulate-office-in-ct">EWN</a> reported on Wednesday.
The Helen Suzman Foundation said that it was unfortunate that poor Zimbabweans had to be subjected to such activities, with the South African government not intervening to help the people to get their documentation in place.
The foundation’s executive director, Nicole Fritz, said that the citizens of Zimbabwe living in South Africa had contributed immensely over the past 10 years to the country’s economy. Fritz said:
<blockquote>
But these Zimbabwean nationals also can’t depend on the Zimbabwean government to act in their interest and we have seen that from the get go, that’s why many have sought to live in South Africa and sought to escape Zimbabwe.
</blockquote>
The consulate office remains closed in the wake of Wednesday’s violence, where officials had to be rescued by police.
<h2><a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/">More Pinduala News</a></h2>

HSF Concerned About Allegations Of Corruption At Zimbabwe Consulate Office

The Zimbabwean Embassy in South Africa has announced dates and venues for the registration of ZEP holders who need assistance to return to Zimbabwe. This comes as thousands of Zimbabweans are expected to return home on or before the 30th of June this year when the <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Zimbabwean_Exemption_Permit_Visa">Zimbabwe Exemption Permits (ZEPs)</a> expire. 
In a notice seen by Pindula News, the Zimbabwean consulate in South Africa said those intending to return to Zimbabwe need to bring Birth Certificate registration, Passport application form processing, and Temporary Travel Document (TTD). Reads the notice:
<blockquote>
The Embassy of the Republic of Zimbabwe in South Africa wishes to recall its announcement on 2 February 2023 that the Government of Zimbabwe has taken a decision to assist and facilitate the repatriation of its nationals, holders of the Zimbabwe Exemption Permits (ZEPs), who voluntarily wish to return home before the expiry of their permits on 30 June 2023. In that regard, an in-person/physical mapping exercise will be undertaken across all the nine provinces of South Africa from 12 to 31 March 2023, to identify and register ZEP holders and their dependants who may require assistance or facilitation to return to Zimbabwe.
The following consular services will also be provided during the exercise:
Birth Certificate registration, 
Passport application form processing, and 
Temporary Travel Document (TTD)
For ease of convenience, the schedule below indicates the centres for in-person registration:-
DATE …………… PROVINCE ……  CITY …………… VENUE …………………………………………………… TIME ( 0900hrs-1500hrs)
14-17/3/23 …… Limpopo ………..Polokwane … Orpenview, 135 Orpen road. Polokwane 
20-22/3/23……North West …….Rustenburg … Hellenic Centre (Hellenic Community of Rustenburg) 128 Watsonia Avenue, Gelhout Park
25-27/3/23 … North West … Mahikeng ………. Mocoseng Sundown Resorts, 11542 Mocoseng Village, Mmabatho
29/3/23-1/4/23 …Gauteng … Johannesburg … Consulate of the Republic of Zimbabwe 13A Boeing Road, Bedfordview
13-15/3/23… Mpumalanga … Nelspruit …….. Oewesig Community Hall, Near Lowveld Show Grounds. Nelspruit 
16-8/3/23… Mpumalanga … Witbank…………. Gereformeerde IKerk Hoeveld Posbus 541, River Crescent Witbank 
</blockquote>
<h2><a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/">More Pindula News</a></h2>

Dates, Venues For Registration Of ZEP Holders Intending To Return To Zimbabwe

The Zimbabwe Consulate in South Africa has extended the time for applications for birth certificates and passports to clear the backlog. The special intervention is scheduled to run from the 3rd to the 17th of October 2022. In a statement seen by Pindula News, the consulate advised members of the public that the consulates do not have agents who act on their behalf. Reads the statement dated 26 September 2022:
<blockquote>
<h2>SPECIAL INTERVENTION AIMED AT DEPLETING THE BIRTH CERTIFICATE AND PASSPORT APPLICATIONS BACKLOG: 3 TO 17 OCTOBER 2022</h2>
Please be advised that the Consulate will carry out a special consular intervention in response to a continued high demand for birth certificate registration and passport applications in South Africa. The exercise will stretch from 3 to 17 October 2022.
<h2>During this period, the Consulate will be operating as follows: –</h2>
• Open every day, including Saturdays and Sundays, from 0730 to 1600 hours for birth certificate and passport applications.
• Increase the number of appointments from 400 to 1000 per day, at a pace of 100 bookings per hour.
• As usual, the booking platform will open for new bookings every Wednesday at 1600 hours. 
• Applicants are strongly encouraged to adhere to the allocated time given the need to manage the number of people within the Consulate premises at any given time ALL EARLY ARRIVALS WILL BE TURNED BAG
• Clients seeking other services such as Temporary Travel Documents 17TD), Cancellation of Passports, Authentication of Documents among others, still do not require prior booking in order to access service they will however be assisted strictly during weekdays between 0900 and 1130 hours.
• Clearances for the repatriation of human remains for burial in Zimbabwe will continue to be strictly processed during weekdays via the existing electronic platforms.
<h2>Please take note of the following. </h2>
• All consular appointments are free of charge 
• 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.
• To book for an appointment, clients should use the following link: https://www.zimbabweconsulate.co.za/appointment
• Clients are advised to strictly use the identity details of the person requiring service when scheduling an appointment.
For further interaction with the Consulate on all issues of mutual interest, please use the following official channels:-
• Facebook page: ZImbabweconsulate Boeing Rood Bedfordview 
• Twitter: Zimbabweconsulatejhb 
• WhatsApp: +27828249435 
• Emal: admin@zimbabweconsulate.co.zw
• Website: www.zimconsulate.co.zw
</blockquote>
<h2><a href="https://zero.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a></h2>

Zimbabwe Consulate In SA Extends Time For Birth Certificate And Passport Application

Around 20 gay rights defenders Monday marched on the Zimbabwe Consulate in Cape Town to deliver a memorandum calling for gay rights in Zimbabwe.
They had marched from Keizersgracht Street to the consulate in Kyper Street on Monday.
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<div class="bb-item-prop">They met an official who told the police to block the media and to allow only three representatives through the gate to deliver their petition.</div>
</div>
</div>
Organisers of the march for gay rights in Zimbabwe, Shingirai Musekiwa, confirmed delivering the petition. Musekiwa said:
<blockquote>
We have handed over the petition to an unknown man who chose to discriminate against us. He has refused to tell his name and sign the petition … Zimbabwe calls itself an independent country and is turning 41 on 18 April, but still … sees gays and lesbians as animals.
</blockquote>
Musekiwa and his partner Elton Chibhebhe started the Zimbabwe LGBTQ+ Crusader movement to repeal section 78 of the Zimbabwean Constitution which criminalises homosexuality.
The march was supported by people from the Triangle Project, the Pride Shelter Trust, LGBTI asylum seekers and refugee activists Pachedu, and Queers Without Borders.
Talent Mazenge, who joined the march, and lives in South Africa, said he had suffered discrimination at the hands of his own family. He said he spent four years without talking to my family from Zimbabwe as they couldn’t accept him.
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<div id="google_ads_iframe_/26225854/Dotaudience/newzimbabwe.com/Lazy2_0__container__">Reverend Laurie Gaum, who joined the march, told GroundUp that the group is exposed and unprotected in South Africa.</div>
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<div id="google_ads_iframe_/26225854/Dotaudience/newzimbabwe.com/Lazy2_0__container__">Gaum added that Zimbabwe continues to criminalise LGBTI making them desperate to leave and find safety in South Africa. Added Gaum:</div>
<div id="google_ads_iframe_/26225854/Dotaudience/newzimbabwe.com/Lazy2_0__container__"></div>
<blockquote>
<div id="google_ads_iframe_/26225854/Dotaudience/newzimbabwe.com/Lazy2_0__container__">The Zimbabwean government needs to step up and take responsibility for its citizens’ rights … and see to it that the most vulnerable are protected and able to access their full citizenship.</div>
</blockquote>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Most African countries have rejected homosexuality saying it is a phenomenon alien to the continent hence a violation of the African culture.
More: <a href="https://www.newzimbabwe.com/zims-cape-town-consulate-besieged-as-protesters-demand-gay-rights/">NewZimbabwe</a>

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