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Midlands Bureau
THE new Gokwe South Passport Office has been opened to the public, in a move that has brought joy to the community that for long has been travelling either to Gweru or Bulawayo to get a passport.
It is part of the Second Republic’s move to improve passport acquisition and decentralising passport services in the Midlands Province and the country at large.
Midlands Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister, Owen Ncube, recently visited the newly opened e-passport offices in Gokwe South.
“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, the President Cde Dr ED Mnangagwa’s desire and commitment to deal with backlogs, long-winding queues, middlemen and high travelling costs by bringing services closer to the people, in the process ensuring no one and no place is left behind,” said Minister Ncube.
The development, he said, will also uplift the previously marginalised community of Gokwe.
Minister Ncube said 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 provision of online Civil Registry services and uplifting the livelihoods of previously marginalised communities.
“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,” he said.
Minister Ncube said the Second Republic was leading massive infrastructure development works in Gokwe South where roads, bridges, schools and clinics, among others, are being constructed.
The Chemusonde Bridge that links Chief Sai, Manoti, Chirisa Game Park and Charama Plateau and Lisulu area in Binga has been constructed while in the health sector, Kana Mission Hospital Mortuary, which has a capacity of 20 bodies, is one of the largest in the Midlands Province.
“Implementation of the devolution and decentralisation agenda with the Gokwe Nursing School now open to train health practitioners,” said Minister Ncube.
Other projects include the electrification of Zengeya Primary, Business Centre and Masakadza Business Centre, the electrification of Chief Nemangwe and Sengwa Bridge Business Centre, which is underway.
Minister Ncube said this was testimony that the Second Republic was walking its talk in terms of service delivery. He urged the people to support the transformational leadership of President Mnangagwa as he leads the country towards attainment of an upper middle-income economy by 2030.
“He is indeed a tried, tested and 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 and projects,” he said.
As part of its decentralisation programme, the Civil Registry Department is also set to open e-passport offices in South Africa, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates and the United States.
Online Reporter