Story by Kenias Chivuzhe
THE decentralisation of passport offices under the Second Republic’s devolution programme is steadily reshaping access to essential public services, easing long-standing challenges faced by citizens in both rural and urban districts.
As part of the broader drive to bring government services closer to the people, the nationwide rollout of passport offices has emerged as one of the most tangible outcomes of the decentralisation agenda. Wedza district is among the latest beneficiaries, with residents citing improved efficiency, reduced costs and shorter processing times.
South Africa-based Junior Chirara from Mutokwe Village described the Wedza passport office as a marked departure from previous experiences.
“We are here at the passport offices, and we are happy that there are no queues. I have been assisted today without any delays. Last week, we came here to apply for passports for my brother and my husband, and they did not even take seven days to be ready for collection. I have also applied for mine today, and I am looking forward to having it soon. My brother and husband applied for passports on a Friday, and on Wednesday, they received messages to collect their passports. This means they were out within three working days. Before the opening of this office, we used to go to Marondera, where there were long queues,” he said.
Other residents are equally excited about the new passport office.
“I am a resident of Wedza, and my passport expired in 2024. The opening of passport offices here has brought services closer to the people. We no longer have to pay for transport costs to access these services. Our government is doing a great job of constructing these passport offices,” Privilege Chinyahara said.
“I am from Chikomba district. I am very grateful for the opening of these offices. We are also happy with the offices that were opened in other countries, such as South Africa, where we can apply for children’s identity documents. When we come for submission here in Zimbabwe, it is easy. I submitted my forms on January 8, and in less than six days, I was told that the passport for my child is now ready. We are very happy with these developments. The passport office here is very efficient,” Julius Makwara said.
As Wedza joins other districts which benefited from the rollout of decentralised passport offices, residents say the initiative has restored confidence in the public service delivery system and improved access to essential documentation for work, travel and family needs.
