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Mr Tobaiwa Mudede

Felex Share Senior Reporter—
The Registrar General’s Office has begun the national mobile registration for people to acquire identity documents as part of preparations for next year’s harmonised elections.The department is focusing on registration of national identity cards, births and deaths certificates. The mobile registration exercise, which will run for three months, will end on November 30. Registrar-General Mr Tobaiwa Mudede yesterday said every district in the country’s 10 provinces had mobile teams. “We started mobile registration on Monday at our designated centres and static offices,” he said.

“Everything is in place. Every province now has the itineraries. We appeal to all citizens to come forward and register for personal documents. On the turn out so far, we still have to check. We are not yet getting figures daily because people were setting up.” Identity card replacements and verification is also being done during the same period.

Zimbabwe goes for harmonised elections next year and no one will be allowed to vote without a national identification card. Mr Mudede said for one to register for a particular document, certain requirements had to be met as prescribed by the law.

“We reaffirm that citizens should bring with them the birth confirmation records from health institutions and their identity document to enable them to register their child for birth certificate,” he said.

“For those registering for national identity documents, they should produce their birth certificates. Those who do not meet the said registration requirements should not delay the registration process.” Mr Mudede said the exercise was not for granting citizenship. “Citizenship has procedures that we go through,” he said.

“We have our friends — foreigners and aliens who are here. Some have entered through immigration points and have been in this country for some time. There is time which is statutorily provided for them. The procedure is that they will come to our offices not mobile offices. When they come, we do checks together with the immigration department, the time provided by the law they have stayed in this country. If they clear themselves through immigration they come we give them forms and after completion there are checks, the vetting processes we go through. This is international. There is no country on earth that just gives citizenship. After vetting they will then be granted citizenship. This time of three months (of national mobile registration) does not finish that business. Those who would like to have their citizenship status regularised must come through our offices. Citizenship is not de-centralised, it is centralised.”