Binga set for passport office as Civil Registry nears completion

BINGA is set to become one of the latest districts to offer passport services as construction of a modern Department of Civil Registry office nears completion, marking another milestone in the Second Republic’s drive to decentralise Government services and ensure that no community is left behind.

The facility, which is about 70 percent complete, will provide passport processing as well as birth registration, national identity card and other civil registration services, ending decades of costly and time-consuming travel by locals to Hwange, Lupane or Bulawayo to access the documents.

The project is one of several flagship developments being implemented under the Binga Development Initiative, a comprehensive programme aimed at transforming one of the country’s historically marginalised districts through strategic investments in infrastructure, health, education and public services.

Speaking on the sidelines of the commissioning of the Kasambabezi Border Post by Vice-President Kembo Mohadi last Friday, Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Kazembe Kazembe said the registry office would be completed and commissioned before the end of the year.

“We were commissioning the border post today, but we have another assignment that we received from His Excellency President Mnangagwa, which is the construction of a Civil Registry office. The project is now about 70 percent complete and we will be back before the end of the year to officially open it,” he said.

Minister Kazembe said the new office would considerably improve access to Government services by bringing them closer to the people.

“There won’t be any need for the people of Binga to travel to faraway places such as Hwange or Bulawayo to obtain national identity cards or passports. These essential services will now be available right here in Binga,” he said.

For many years, people in Binga have endured long journeys and high transport costs to access civil registration services, with some forced to spend nights away from home before completing the process.

The new facility is expected to eliminate those challenges while improving efficiency in the issuance of identity documents.

The registry office will also complement the recently commissioned Kasambabezi Border Post by facilitating easier access to passports for traders, students, businesspeople and families with relatives across the Zambezi River in Zambia.

A resident, Ms Memory Ncube, welcomed the development, saying it would ease the burden on families.

“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.

Mr Bernard Munkombwe said the Civil Registry office and the new border post would work together to unlock fresh economic opportunities for the district.

“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 Civil Registry office forms part of the wider Binga Development Initiative, which was launched following President Mnangagwa’s directive in 2022 to accelerate development in the district.

Since then, Binga has witnessed unprecedented infrastructure development, including the construction of Binga Polytechnic College, a nursing school, civil registry offices, expansion of Binga Airstrip, rehabilitation of the district mortuary and the commissioning of the modern Kasambabezi Border Post.

The programme is aligned with Vision 2030 and the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2), which prioritise decentralisation of public services, balanced regional development and improved access to quality Government services.

Once operational, the Civil Registry office is expected to improve service delivery, reduce travelling costs for residents and further advance the Second Republic’s philosophy of “leaving no one and no place behind.”