3 million civic documents issued during blitz

THE mobile registration drive ended on Friday, with over three million civic documents having been issued.

The figure is one million more than the planned target.

The exercise, which was meant to clear the backlog that arose over the period of Covid-19induced lockdowns and restrictions, began on April 1.

In a statement released yesterday, the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage said 1 300 573 national identification cards, 1 758 322 birth certificates and 44 590 death certificates were issued across the country during the sixmonth-long programme.

“The Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage, through the Civil Registry Department, wishes to inform the nation that the national mobile registration exercise, which commenced on April 1, 2022, ended on September 30, 2022. The ministry had anticipated issuing two million documents by the end of the programme.

“We are pleased to inform the nation that as of September 22, 2022, a total of 3 103 485 documents were issued, surpassing the planned target,” said Home Affairs and Cultural

Heritage Permanent

Nhepera.

Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) chairperson, Mr Elasto Mugwadi, told our Harare Bureau that the commission applauds Government’s efforts in ensuring that no one is left stateless by 2023.

Writing in his weekly column in this publication in August, President Mnangagwa said:

“I am now happy that access to birth certificates and national identity cards has vastly improved, with many who had lived in the twilight zone of citizenship feeling they now belong and are empowered.”

Secretary Mr Aaron