Moffat Mungazi
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
HOME Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister, Honourable Kazembe Kazembe, expressed shock and dismay at the deplorable state of the Civil Registry Department’s provincial headquarters in Mutare.
The wooden cabin offices, where citizens obtain crucial civil registration documents, have become a haven for snakes, with staff and visitors alike encountering the reptiles on a regular basis.
Minister Kazembe described the situation as “a sorry sight”, highlighting the unacceptable risks posed to, both employees and the public.
His concerns are well-founded, given the importance of the Civil Registry Department in providing essential services, including birth and death certificates, passports, marriage licences and national registration.
Fortunately, Government has already initiated plans to construct a new, state-of-the-art provincial Registry Office in Mutare, which will provide a safer and more conducive environment for staff and citizens alike. The project is part of the broader efforts to improve infrastructure and service delivery across the country.
“Workers at this Civil Registry Department in Mutare are mixing and mingling with snakes. In fact, I am told that it has become normal to come face-to-face with snakes here.
‘‘This is a sorry sight. To think of it that, all these years, the people of Manicaland and Mutare in particular, were coming to get their civil registration documents in these cabins, is difficult to comprehend, to say the least,” he said while on tour to check the progress in the construction of the new facility early this week.
He was quick to express gratitude to the Second Republic under President Emmerson Mnangagwa for moving with speed to redress the situation in a short space of time.
“I would like to sincerely thank President Emmerson Mnangagwa for his intervention, which has greatly benefited the people of Manicaland. The difference is clear — we have come a long way from where we were, and we are continuing to make progress.
‘‘This is a testament to the new dispensation. This is the President’s mantra of leaving no one and no place behind. So these will be our new offices,” he said.
Minister Kazembe reflected on the criticism he faced for locating e-passport services in Chipinge, 200km away from the provincial capital.
“I received fierce criticism for placing e-passport offices in Chipinge. Honestly speaking, how can we deploy high-end computer equipment in such basic cabins, he said.
However, Minister Kazembe justified the decision, explaining that Chipinge had decent offices, making it a suitable temporary location for e-passport services.
This allowed the people of Manicaland to access the new e-passports while a new state-of-the-art Civil Registry office was being built in Mutare.
Minister Kazembe emphasised that the project was completed quickly, thanks to President Mnangagwa’s guidance.
“The President said, ‘When you are building, build better.’ This is exactly what he meant,” he said.
The “build back better” concept, popularised by President Mnangagwa after Cyclone Idai, has become a guiding principle for Government infrastructure construction. This approach prioritises resilience and sustainability in the face of natural disasters.
The Civil Registry provincial headquarters was in a dire state, with its wooden cabin structures becoming inhabitable and posing a significant danger to human life.
These structures also increased the risk of damage to vital records, which are constantly referred to even after 50 years.
Thankfully, Government, through the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage, has taken steps to address this issue.
They have partnered with a private company, Garsu Pasaulis, to construct new provincial Registry Offices, starting with Mutare.
Once completed, the new facility will provide a one-stop shop for citizens to access vital civil registration and travel documents.
This will, not only enhance the efficiency of services, but also improve the overall experience for citizens.
Government’s efforts align with their mantra of leaving no one and no place behind, and it is great to see progress being made.
Minister Kazembe said: “As we are gathered here, I am reminded of our Government’s commitment to transform Zimbabwe to a middle income economy by 2030. This vision is rooted in our determination provide our citizens with access to quality services, infrastructure and opportunities for growth and development.”
Minister Kazembe said the construction of such modern infrastructure gives credence to calls for President Mnangagwa to stay in office beyond 2028.
“This is the reason why people from different walks of life and political persuasions are kindly asking the President to carry on a little bit more beyond 2028. It is simply because they want to continue to see these things.
“For example, we have opened 19 civil registry offices since the President took office and this is the reason that people are pleading with him to stay on so that they see more of this,” said Minister Kazembe.
Apparently, the Manicaland Civil Registry Department consists of one provincial office, seven district registry offices and 20 operational sub-offices. Two sub-offices — Rugoyi Sub-Office in Makoni District and Rusitu Sub-Office — remain unopened due to lack of staff and accommodation constraints, while the later was destroyed during the March 2019 Cyclone Idai.
The Mutare Provincial Registry has a rich history. Before 2010, the department was housed in the Cecil Chambers Building in Mutare’s Central Business District.
However, its proximity to the highway posed a significant risk to clients.
To address this, the department relocated to the Palace House Building, only to be driven out by escalating rental costs.
In search of a more permanent solution, the department approached Mutare City Council for alternative accommodation.
Fortunately, they were allocated a stand in 2009.
The following year, the department constructed and occupied wooden structures at their current site.
Initially, this was meant to be a temporary arrangement, intended to last only two years until more permanent structures could be built.
The project’s completion was delayed until the Second Republic’s intervention. However, the nearly complete new complex is set to address long-standing challenges, including inadequate office space, which forced staff to share offices with limited room for client services and file storage.
The new complex will also eliminate the risk of staff exposure to snakes and other hazardous reptiles.
The old wooden structures posed a significant risk to the public and the department’s records. Moreover, they were unsuitable for storing computers, resulting in the inability to process passports locally.
This forced some clients to travel to Chipinge and Marondera, incurring unnecessary costs and inconvenience.
Manicaland Provincial Civil Registrar, Ms Joyce Munamati, welcomed the new development, saying; “The new offices will bring joy, relief, and convenience to Manicaland residents, aligning with the President’s Vision 2030 theme: A country is built by its own people. (Nyika inovakwa nevene vayo). The new building will address challenges such as inadequate ICT equipment, computer storage, old furniture, insufficient IT consumables, and limited office space.”
Ms Munamati highlighted several challenges still plaguing the Civil Registry Department. Key among these are inadequate office spaces at Makoni and Mutare offices, and dilapidated infrastructure at Nyanyadzi and Ruwangwe sub-offices.
“The recent rains damaged staff accommodation at Chitenderano Sub-office in Makoni, leaving staff member’s belongings exposed. Despite their efforts, members of staff are still struggling to secure accommodation within the community. Given the dire situation, staff houses should be prioritised,” she said.
