Zimbabweans trapped as government stops issuing passports
Published: 30/Jun/2019
Source: Business Day ((Johannesburg)
Ordinary citizens told to try again after 2021, because country does not have funds to import the ink and paper needed for the documents
By KEVIN SAMAITA
Harare — Zimbabweans seeking travel documents to leave the country are enduring nightmares as the country has virtually stopped issuing passports to ordinary citizens as a result of foreign currency shortages.
Officials at the passport office in Harare told Business Day that the office is printing only five to 10 passports a day, with the documents reserved for diplomats or the few “special cases” approved by the minister of home affairs.
At the heart of the problem are shortages of foreign currency as the country has no adequate funds to import the ink, paper and other material to print the passports.
Ordinary citizens seeking to apply for the travel documents are being told that they need to return after 2021, when the office hopes to have cleared its backlog of more than 300,000 applications.
Read further: https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/world/africa/2019-06-30-zimbabweans-trapped-as-government-stops-issuing-passports/