Online Reporter
Sikhumbuzo Moyo, [email protected]
Government is constructing a Civil Registry office in Binga that will offer passport services, bringing essential documentation closer to residents, with the project now about 70 percent complete.
The facility is expected to be commissioned before the end of the year.
Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Kazembe Kazembe revealed the progress after Vice President Kembo Mohadi commissioned the Kasambabezi Border Post last Friday, saying the project is being implemented under a directive from President Mnangagwa to improve access to Government services.
“We were commissioning the border post today but we have another task that we were given by His Excellency President Mnangagwa that of constructing a registry office and the building is now 70 percent complete. We shall be back again here to officially open it before year end,” said Minister Kazembe.
He said the new registry office would decentralise civil registration services, allowing residents to access national identity cards, birth certificates and passports without travelling long distances.
“There won’t be any need for the people of Binga to travel to far away areas like Hwange or Bulawayo just to get a national identity card or passport. Those services will now be at their doorsteps,” he said.
The development is expected to ease the burden on residents, who have for years incurred significant transport costs and spent considerable time travelling to access documentation services.
Ms Memory Ncube, a Binga resident, welcomed the project, saying it would improve access to essential Government services.
“For many years we have spent a lot of money travelling to Hwange or Bulawayo just to apply for identity documents. Having these services here in Binga will save us both time and money. We are grateful that Government has remembered us,” she said.
Another resident, Mr Bernard Munkombwe, said the registry office would complement the newly commissioned Kasambabezi Border Post by expanding opportunities for the local community.
“The border post has opened new economic opportunities for our district and the registry office will make life even easier for the people. Access to passports will encourage more people to engage in legal cross-border trade while reducing the inconvenience we have endured for years,” he said.
The registry office forms part of several infrastructure and public service projects being implemented in Binga under the Second Republic’s development agenda, which seeks to decentralise services and ensure equitable access to Government programmes across the country.
