Civil Registry upgrades systems

Remember Deketeke

Herald Correspondent

The recent decline in the number of people getting identity documents (IDs) in Harare CBD is a result of the systems upgrade currently underway at the new Registry Offices, Registrar-General Henry Machiri said.

He said this yesterday after complaints that only a handful of people were being served at the new ID offices.

People are not happy that Registry is only issuing a maximum of 100 IDS compared to 500 plus they used give out daily.

In an interview at his offices, Registrar General Machiri said the primary reason for the decline in the number of individuals receiving IDs is the systems upgrade.

“As we are all aware, we were using an old system of 1998 which was quite outdated, so the minister said there is need for the system to be upgraded to meet the current demands and the ministry’s standards,” he said.

“The ID department is the test section, so that’s why the numbers are quite low. When we started, we were only serving less than 30 people, but I am glad that at the moment the figures are rising day by day.”

The development is aimed at accommodating the growing clientele and improving service delivery as the department moves towards realisation of Vision 2030, Registrar Machiri added.

This is part of the ongoing systems upgrade that is being run in all Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Ministry departments.