A boost for the passport office

THE Registrar-General's Office has increased the production of passports from 30 000 to 40 000 per month and its capacity is set to almost double amid reports that the Government has acquired two state-of-the-art passport printing machines.

The high-speed printers will help ease pressure at the RG's Office, as production of the travel documents is expected to rise to 70 000 per month.

This comes in the wake of reports that scores of Zimbabweans had resorted to using stolen or lost passports to cross into other countries.

This has largely been attributed to the failure to acquire travel documents on time at the RG's office.

Secretary for Home Affairs Mr Melusi Matshiya yesterday confirmed that Government was acquiring the high-speed machinery. "We are acquiring two new high-speed printers to improve our production from 40 000 to 70 000 per month," he said.

Government, he said, was working flat out to reduce the passport backlog, which stood close to 300 000 in the past years.

"We have managed to reduce the huge backlog to moderate levels and we are working hard to clear it," he said.

Mr Matshiya said officers at the RG's offices were working for long hours to try and process more passports and travel documents.

"Our capacity has picked up from 30 000 to the current 40 000 per month. This is a high figure," he added.

He said the RG was also processing passports and travel documents for Zimbabweans in South Africa.

"Zimbabweans resident in South Africa who have applied for new passports will get them within a week. We are processing them and we will send them there," Mr Matshiya said.

However, Mr Matshiya outlined some of the challenges faced by the RG's office such as resources, shortages of manpower and space to expand windows to serve more people at Makombe Building.

He attributed congestion at the passport offices to the first come first served system.

"In terms of that system many people rush to the offices resulting in congestion. This is why we have asked for additional workforce to ease pressure on the few officers at the RG's office," he said.

Mr Matshiya said under their strategy, Government was enforcing a plan to decongest the RG's offices.
"It may not be as smooth as people would want, but we are working on a strategy to decongest the RG's office by processing more passports everyday," said Mr Matshiya.

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