Chronicle Editor
Michael Magoronga, [email protected]
THE recently completed e-passport registry office in Gokwe South has started issuing passports to the public in a development that marks a significant step forward in improving the efficiency and accessibility of passport services in the district.
The new office, which was completed last month, is expected to reduce the backlog of passport applications and provide faster service to residents.
The introduction of e-passports is part of a broader effort by the Second Republic to modernise its services and enhance security features in travel documents.
The initiative is particularly beneficial for the local community, making it easier for people to obtain passports without travelling long distances.
Before the latest development, the Midlands Province had only two passport offices in Gweru and Zvishavane.
While the Zvishavane offices service the upper part of the province as well as some parts of Masvingo and Matabeleland South provinces, the Gokwe South office services the southern part and also covers parts of Matabeleland North especially Binga District and Sanyati area of Mashonaland West.
Midlands Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister, Owen Ncube recently visited the new facility, which he said is in line with President Mnangagwa’s philosophy of leaving no one and no place behind in terms of development.
“It gives me great pleasure to tour the state-of-the-art Gokwe South e-passport office, which resonates with the Second Republic under the able and visionary leadership of His Excellency, President Mnangagwa’s desire and commitment to deal with backlogs, long winding queues, middlemen and high travelling costs by bringing services closer,” he said.
Minister Ncube said the development will also uplift the marginalised community of Gokwe. “The e-passport office dovetails with the Second Republic’s industrialisation and modernisation trajectory as it encompasses digital economy and devolution and decentralisation agenda through the provision of online civil registry services and uplifting the livelihoods of previously marginalised communities,” he said.
“The future of the Midlands provincial GDP growth lies in harnessing the human and natural resources in areas like Gokwe previously known for supplying cheap and unskilled labour to other areas.”
The development is part of several developmental projects being undertaken by the Second Republic in Gokwe.
“The Second Republic is leading by example by providing an enabling investment climate. Gokwe South benefited through the construction of the Chemusonde Bridge which links Chief Sai, Manoti, Chirisa Game Park and Charama Plateau and the Lisulu area in Binga,” said Minister Ncube.
“In the health sector, Kana Mission Hospital mortuary which has a capacity of handling 20 bodies is one of the largest in the Midlands Province in terms of the implementation of the devolution and decentralisation agenda with Gokwe Nursing School now open to train health practitioners.”
Other projects include the electrification of Zengeya Primary School, Masakadza Business Centre, Chief Nemangwe area and Sengwa Bridge Business Centre, which is currently underway.
Minister Ncube said the projects are a testimony of the Second Republic’s commitment to walking the talk in terms of service delivery.
“I urge you all to support the transformational leadership of His Excellency, President Mnangagwa as he leads the country towards the attainment of an upper middle-income economy by 2030,” he said.
“He is indeed a tried, tested, trusted and people-centric capable leader with a clear vision of the development trajectory of our beloved country Zimbabwe. My tour of the Gokwe South e-passport office today has indeed been an eye opener as we put our best foot forward in showcasing the Second Republic’s modernisation programmes.”
As part of its decentralisation programme, the Civil Registry department also opened new e-passport offices in Johannesburg, South Africa to cater for the diaspora community and similar developments are underway in the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates and United States of America.
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