IDs challenge for Chiredzi South

MORE than 15 000 people in Chiredzi South have no identity documents, and efforts are underway to address the issue to enable them to participate in national issues.

Chiredzi South legislator, Cde Callisto Gwanetsa, recently said generational challenges were to blame for citizens’ failure to obtain national documents.

“Individuals failed to have identity documents because their parents, and in some cases, grandparents did not have national identity documents,” he said.

“So we can have about four generations in the same family without these documents. This also affects school children who are going to write their examinations from Grade 7 to A’ Level.

“It also deprives people of this area to be professionals, therefore we cannot have a nurse or a teacher who comes from this area because he or she did not have documents needed to write national examinations.”

Cde Gwanetsa added that undocumented people involved in farming were falling victim of side-marketers because they cannot use formal channels to sell their crops.

“We had good yields and when people want to sell their crops to GMB, they have challenges since GMB wants them to open accounts, but without identity documents, they can’t open the bank accounts.

“People are also getting robbed by those that come in the area taking advantage of their situation and charge them US$200 per tonne of maize whilst GMB charges $32 000 per tonne, so our people are getting robbed,” said Cde Gwanetsa.

He has pledged to address documentation issues in Chiredzi saying efforts will be made to get the Registrar-General to address the challenge.