Zimbabwe: Govt officials selling IDs in Mwenezi: ZPP

Published: 6/Mar/2017
Source: NewsDay (Harare)

A HUMAN rights and peace watchdog has accused authorities at the Registrar General’s Office of forcing poor villagers to pay in cash and kind to obtain identity documents ahead of a by-election in Mwenezi East constituency.

BY SILAS NKALA

The Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) claimed it has information of a “suspicious” registration exercise that took place at Chingwizi Primary School in Ward 13 of Mwenezi East from February 24 to March 1 this year.

ZPP accused one Hardlife Mudavanhu, working in cohorts with the Rutenga Registrar General’s office, of reportedly demanding $5 to $10 from villagers in order to obtain the national documents.

“Those villagers, who cannot raise the money are being asked to give up their goats or chickens in order to obtain the national documents. Those without money or livestock were not attended to. Ruling party cards and name tags were also given to those who participated in the programme,” read part of ZPP report.

Registrar General, Tobaiwa Mudede, has been accused of abating Zanu PF’s election rigging machinery. However, following the adoption of the new Constitution in 2013, his department was cut-off in the preparation of the voters’ roll, now administered by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission. But Mudede still superintends over the registration of births and deaths, which is essential in the management of the voters’ roll now set to go biometric.

Read further:  https://www.newsday.co.zw/2017/03/06/govt-officials-selling-ids-mwenezi-zpp/

Themes: Birth Registration, ID Documents and Passports
Regions: Zimbabwe
Year: 2017