Govt set to extend RG’svoter registration blitz

Nqobile Tshili, Chronicle Correspondent
GOVERNMENT may be forced to extend the Registrar General’s Office blitz for people to acquire identification documents if it does not increase staff undertaking the programme, Home Affairs Deputy Minister Cde Obedingwa Mguni has said.

The RG’s Office started rolling out the programme for people to acquire birth certificates, national identity cards and death certificates on September 4 with plans to conclude the programme on November 30.

Cde Mguni said the ongoing blitz may be extended as the RG’s Office is faced with staff shortages to effectively conduct the programme.

The Deputy Minister said this while responding to legislators during the National Assembly Question and Answer session on Wednesday.

He said the Ministry has approached other Government departments to bolster staff due to overwhelming work.

“We have assembled a lot of teams. However, we have come across challenges because of these documents that are being given for free. We have gone to other departments to look for officers to reinforce our teams that can be inducted in three days and understand the correct process. Some of the departments are now saying they have run out of staff,” Cde Mguni said.

“However, we have gone to other Ministries that we think can help us, especially the Ministry of Youths and the Gender Ministry represented by the Minister here, so that they can help us with more people to create more teams because come 30 November, we foresee us extending that date because if we are moving with those smaller teams, it will take longer. So, we want to meet the deadline and we are expanding our teams.”

He said he was aware that failure to acquire identification documents was hindering some people from registering as voters.

Cde Mguni said his office had liaised with Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to work simultaneously with RG’s Office. —@nqotshili