The ManicaPost
Luthando Mapepa
Chipinge Correspondent
As Government fast-tracks efforts to decentralise the issuance of electronic passports to provincial offices, Chipinge will be the first district in Manicaland to issue the critical travelling document, The Manica Post has established.
This development follows the launch of the e-passport by President Emmerson Mnangagwa on December 14, 2021; with the Civil Registry Department starting to issue e-passports at the Central Registry in Harare on January 18, 2022.
Since then, people from Manicaland have been getting their e-passports in either Marondera or Harare.
Chapter 3 of the Zimbabwean Constitution states that a passport, birth certificate and other travelling and national identity documents are rights and benefits that should be enjoyed by all citizens.
The latest development, which will see thousands of Manicaland residents accessing the travelling document in the province, demonstrates the Second Republic’s determination to ensure that the citizenry is fully served within their respective communities.
While Mutare is the provincial capital, the registry’s department has not constructed any permanent buildings in the city, with temporary wood cabins being used as offices, thereby making the establishment of e-passport offices there a herculian task.
A delegation from the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage recently toured the Chipinge Government Complex which houses the district’s Civic Registry Department to assess the feasibility of setting up the e-passport offices there.
The Manica Post understands that the delegation was assessing the quality of the equipment and infrastructure to be used in the e-passport offices which will be housed on the ground floor of the building.
Manicaland Provincial Registrar, Ms Joyce Munamati confirmed the development but referred further questions to Registrar General, Mr Henry Machiri, who was unfortunately unreachable for comment.
The Chipinge registry department’s communication officer, Mr Tsungai Muguti confirmed that an e-passport office will be established in Chipinge as part of Government’s decentralisation programme.
“The e-passport offices will soon be opened in Chipinge District. The dates are yet to be finalised but we will furnish you with more details as soon as the timelines are put in place,” said Mr Muguti.
Chipinge Assistant District Development Coordinator, Mr Tedious Beto, who was part of the delegation that met with officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage welcomed the new development.
“The initiative is part of the ministry’s 100-day Cycle work plan for 2023, and so they are racing against time. The Ministry of Public Service was mandated to monitor the project until it finds its feet,” he said.
Mr Beto said issuance of passports in the populous district is long overdue, especially given its proximity to Mozambique.
“Our region has a high number of people who migrate to neighbouring countries, which requires them to be properly documented.
“The district also encounters serious problems when repatriating bodies of those who would have died outside the country without the required travelling documents.
“Again, disease control is a challenge as people move across the border through illegal points. We believe the decentralisation of the issuance of e-passports will also help us to reduce human trafficking,” he said.
In terms of Statutory Instrument 16 of 2022 on Citizenship (Passport Fees) Regulations 2022, which took effect on January 21, 2022, the fees payable for electronic readable passports are USD100 for an ordinary passport and USD200 for emergency or express passport.
An additional fee of USD20 is charged for every electronically readable passport application to obtain a Quick Response (QR) code.
