Story by Memory Chamisa
As Zimbabwe celebrates 44 years of Independence, government has continued to strengthen the Civil Registration System with the ultimate goal of having a facility in each of the country’s 59 districts.
Zimbabwe, formerly known as Southern Rhodesia, became independent from Great Britain on 18 April 1980.
Even though civil registration was established in 1890, it did not become mandatory for all until after independence.
Everything was centralised in favour of metropolitan provinces, cities and towns at the expense of historically marginalised rural provinces, districts, wards and villages.
44 years later, while it used to take nightmarish hours or even days of queuing, sometimes to no avail, for applicants to get their national identity cards, birth certificates or to submit their forms at the few passport offices in major cities and towns, it is now only a matter of minutes.
The Second Republic has ensured that development and decisions be participatory, spatially even and balanced, thus ensuring no person, place and community is left behind.
“I’m happy with the services that the civil registry has provided over the years from the decentralisation of offices to even the time taken on processing the documents is now a relief,” said a Zimbabwean citizen.
“The government has done well over the years as you know just getting any document was a hustle here from birth, death certificates passports you would think twice before embarking on the journey to the endless queues but now it’s improved and the system efficient and for that we applaud the government,” added another.
“Everyone knows how Mamombe was from thieves, conman, the frustrating process of getting the document itself .But because of decentralisation things have drastically improved.”
The game changer came through the launch of the E-passport service system that was launched on December 14, 2021 as highlighted by the Registrar General Mr Henry Machiri.
“Before Independence women were not allowed to take any national document but after that women were given the same right to that of men. Years on the government has made commendable strides in decentralising offices to decongest the major cities. The introduction of the E-Passport came in line with the worldwide drift towards biometric data-based identity and travel documents.
“Every Zimbabwean has a right to a birth certificate, national identity card and passport. To that end, the Civil Registry Department has decentralised the issuing of the vital documents. The Department has started decentralising mobile registration to provinces and districts that are now required to carry out at least one outreach once in two months at district level.”
As we remember the gallant sons and daughters of the soil, whose sacrifice led to the emancipation of the masses this independence, it is with great honour and pride that today Zimbabwe ranks among a few countries in Africa to issue E-Passports in line with the United Nations recommendations.
