Zimpapers Logo

Walter Nyamukondiwa Chinhoyi Bureau
Long and winding queues are characterising the national identity registration process in Mashonaland West province, with some people being forced to sleep outside. This comes amid allegations of corruption as people seek to be served ahead of others. People from as far as Kenzamba in Makonde district were last night preparing to retire for the night on the queue to ensure that they would be among the first to be served today.

“I got here (at Makonde district registrar’s offices) around 5am today (yesterday) and as you can see I have not been served. I have to sleep here because it is expensive to go back home,” said a woman on the queue.

Government has suspended all payments for national identity documents, a move that has increased pressure on the Registrar-General’s Office, as more people take advantage of the window to obtain the crucial documents. Most people said they needed the documents to be able to register to vote, while others said they wanted to replace their lost documents. For some, it was an opportunity to correct mistakes on their particulars. Other people alleged nepotism and corruption, some people were paying anything between $5 and $10 to skip the queue.

“Some people are coming from nowhere and you see them being served, while some of us who are coming from far remain in the queue,” said a man who preferred anonymity for fear of victimisation.

“It’s not fair. We do not have the money to pay so that we are served first, that is why we are sleeping outside like this.”

Efforts to get a comment from the Registrar-General’s officials on the allegations were fruitless last night, but some people on the queue said the accusations were not justified.

“These are just allegations, no one can point out the evidence for such accusations against the Registrar-General’s officials,” said a man from Makonde, who refused to be named. It’s only that there are a lot of people queueing for the documents and in such scenarios people come up with their own stories without necessarily providing the evidence.”