EDITORIAL COMMENT: Seize the opportunity to get identity documents

22 Apr, 2018 - 00:04 0 Views
EDITORIAL COMMENT: Seize the opportunity to get identity documents Mudede Tobaiwa

The Sunday News

Mudede Tobaiwa

Mudede Tobaiwa

PEOPLE must seize the opportunity presented by the Registrar General’s Office to acquire identity documents at all the country’s district and provincial offices.

The Registrar General’s Office announced last week that it had embarked on a national civil registration mop-up exercise for people to acquire identity documents ahead of harmonised elections due in a few months’ time.

The one-month mop-up exercise began on Monday this week and ends on May 16.

The department is focusing on registration of national identity cards and births and deaths certificates. Citizens by descent are also being covered during the mop-up period.

At this particular time such documents are given free of charge. This comes after the RG’s office conducted an extensive mobile registration which began in September last year and ended on January 31 this year.

“The mop up vital civil registration exercise has started throughout the whole country at designated centres and static offices. The said mobile registration began on Monday, April 16, 2018, to May 16, 2018.

This exercise is an extension of the vital civil mobile registration which commenced last year in September and ended on January 31, 2018. The documents are required to facilitate the registration of voters in preparation for the forthcoming harmonised elections,” Registrar General Mr Tobaiwa Mudede was quoted as saying.

Mr Mudede added: “We appeal to all citizens to come forward and register for personal documents. Requirements have to be met as prescribed by the law. Every corner in the country will be covered.”

The RG’s office is also urging those with metal identity cards to change to polythene-synthetic identity cards.

However, contrary to misconceptions by opposition parties and private media, metal identity cards remain valid and authentic.

The RG’s office said if the metal identity cards were to become invalid, the department would issue a statutory instrument to that effect.

We cannot overemphasise the need for each and every citizen to have a birth certificate and national identity card.

Apart from the benefits of being able to register as a voter so as to exercise one’s democratic right to choose their own leaders, it is also vital as it enables Government and local authorities to have an idea of the number of people who are Zimbabwean nationals outside the official census.

This comes in handy for planning purposes and resource allocation.

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