The Sunday News
Thulani Ndlovu Sunday News Correspondent
LONG, winding queues have disappeared at registry offices around the country due to Government’s structural reforms which prioritise the people, Minister of Home Affairs Cde Kembo Mohadi has said.
He said there was a misnomer that provincial registry offices were passport offices, and all people seen at the offices were mistaken for passport seekers.
Despite previous challenges, he said registry offices now process documents in record time whether they are birth certificates, national documents or death certificates.
This is in line with Government’s economic blueprint, Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation (Zim- Asset), which seeks to eliminate queues at registry offices where people access passports, national identity cards and birth certificates.
The waiting period for passports will also be reduced from three weeks to 10 working days.
“Passport queues around the country have disappeared. The service by the staff is nothing but efficient, quick and up to scratch,” Cde Mohadi said.
Furthermore, the minister said registry offices do not turn people seeking passports away anymore. In the past, the registry office used to serve a limited number and if that number was reached passport applicants were turned away and asked to come the following day.
“When you go the passport office to make an application no one in the queue is turned away, everyone who arrives at the office on time must be served. If you arrive at 8am you will not be turned away and told to come tomorrow; you will be assisted,” Cde Mohadi said.
A snap survey by Sunday News at the Bulawayo Registry Offices, revealed that queues have shortened, although people complained about standing in the queue for a long time.
“The service is getting better by each passing year; there is no need to wake up as early as 4am to queue for a passport. I have been here for about two hours and I feel the authorities should strive to process us in less than an hour,” said Ms Ntombifuthi Moyo from Magwegwe suburb.
Another city man, Mr Enias Gumbo from Nkulumane, echoed the same sentiments: “There have been improvements here and there, when you come to the passport offices you now know that you will be served, though it might take longer than you expect, service will be provided at least.”
Meanwhile, Cde Mohadi rubbished a Henley and Partners report that placed the Zimbabwean passport at number 10 in Africa, saying the rankings were a falsehood and that our passport was one of the best in the world.
Global consulting firm Henley and Partners put together a list of the worst and best passports for international travel. The group analysed visa regulations together with international relations of all countries and territories in the world, ranking them based on how freely their citizens could travel with just a passport.
“It is pure falsehood that we are number 10 in Africa. Our passport is one of the best in the world in terms of security and ease of travel. I will have reservations with anyone who puts our passport down the pecking order,” Cde Mohadi remonstrated.
“This global ranking reflects the international freedom of travel for the passport holders of various nations, but also the international relations and status of individual countries relative to others,” Henley and Partners said.
“Thus, the Republic of Korea, Hong Kong, United Arab Emirates and India have skyrocketed up the list in recent years as their international relations evolve. Venezuela, Zimbabwe, St Kitts and Nevis, and Antigua and Barbuda also climbed several spots in the 2014 ranking after striking agreements with other countries.”
