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Sydney Mubaiwa in ZAKA
Zaka Rural District Council has surrendered its popular drinking spot at Veza Business Centre to allow it to be transformed into offices for the Registrar-General’s Department, in a landmark development set to ease challenges in accessing national identification documents.

Ordinary people in the district, particularly from the remote parts, were travelling for long distances to get identity documents.

This resulted in most opting to live without them.

Zaka RDC chief executive Mr David Majaura confirmed the development.

“We have made available Veza Council Beerhall to be turned into Registrar-General’s offices to ease the distance travelled by villagers to access national identity documents,” he said.

“We received reports from villagers in areas such as Baramanza who were travelling up to 60km to access identity documents.

“We, thus, have decided to surrender the Veza Beerhall, which was just lying idle, into that centre.”

Once completed, the office will serve more than 10 000 households from Zaka West.

Zaka West National Assembly representative Cde Ophious Murambiwa said he assisted in mobilising critical resources and building materials to renovate the building, which is set to open early next year.

“The good thing is that everyone appreciates that the location of our registry office is very strategic considering that it is close to our primary school and the main road.

“Because of the distances villagers used to travel, most children in our communities do not have birth certificates as their parents cannot afford to travel to long distances to the nearest office.”

Villagers who spoke to The Herald were excited by the decision.

“We welcome the move by the RDC to convert the bar into a registry office,” said Mr Matereke.

“We were walking for long distances to get to the nearest registry office, which is at Zaka.

Most people here are from poor backgrounds and when deaths befall their families, they cannot access the registry office for a death certificate and burial order.”

Last week, villagers were busy assisting in the renovation of the office.