Fix laxity at RG’s Office, Govt urged

Runesu Gwidi in MASVINGO
The Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) has challenged Government to come up with mechanisms to fix alleged laxity and “red tape” by officials responsible for issuing identity documents.

ZHRC deputy commissioner Dr Ellen Sithole last week told a media briefing held at the end of a four-day inquiry on challenges faced by citizens in accessing identity documents that people in most rural communities faced serious challenges in accessing the documents

The commission is on a month-long inquiry to gather oral evidence on the issue from witnesses and started the exercise in Masvingo Province last week.

The commission reviewed evidence from 641 witnesses from across the province who gave oral evidence.

Dr Sithole said in their submissions, most witnesses told the commission that accessing identity documents from the RG’s Office was “a tall order” for people in most rural communities.

She said of the 641 witnesses who gave oral evidence to the commission, 54 percent were female, 44 percent male, 2 percent did not indicate their sex, while 7,1 percent were people living with disabilities.

Dr Sithole told journalists during a media briefing that Government would make concerted effort to fix alleged red tape and laxity at the RG’s Office which stifled access by citizens to identity documents such as citizenship certificates, birth certificates, national identity cards, death certificates and passports.

“During the past three days, the commission received numerous complaints about the behaviour of some officials at the RG’s Office to people in need of documentation,” she said.

“The commission noted this and resolved that mechanisms be put in place by Government to fix alleged red tape and laxity at the RG’s Office.”

Beside dereliction of duty by officials at the RG’s Office, people interviewed cited numerous other issues.

These include lack of enough information on how to obtain national identity documents, migration of parents from Zimbabwe, leaving children alone, grandparents having no identity cards, leading to the next generation facing the same challenge, adopted and rehabilitated children with no identity cards, failure by disabled persons to access relevant offices for documentation among others.

Dr Sithole said commission was expected to complete its national inquiry on documentation in November.