Man (57) told to bring parents by RG's Office

A 57-YEAR-OLD Bulawayo man was shocked when officials at the Registrar General's office demanded that he brings one of his parents to facilitate replacement of his lost national identity card.

Mr Larry Scott who works as a truck driver in South Africa returned home to try and replace his lost national identity card so that he could register as a voter.

An angry Mr Scott, a war veteran, said his parents passed away a long time ago.

Relating his ordeal to Chronicle on Friday, Mr Scott said he was frustrated by what was happening at the RG's office.

He said he queued for a week and even slept outside the gate for two nights, only to be told that he was supposed to bring a parent to prove his identity.

He accused the officials at the RG's office of fuelling corruption and depriving him of his right to register as a voter.

"I went to the RG's office on Monday last week at about 3.30am after being told that one has to be early as they only take 40 people per day.

"When I got there, I found that hundreds of people were already queuing and I went back home. I then went back on Wednesday and spent the night at the offices. On Thursday morning I managed to get a slip to get a birth certificate," said Mr Scott.

"I went back the next day and was the first person to be served. I then got the shock of my life when I was told to bring a parent or a relative with the same surname. What frustrated me is that my parents are late and I do not know where to get my father's relatives and I have limited time to get my papers sorted out."

Mr Scott said he lost his particulars when he was robbed and shot by armed robbers while on duty in the Democratic Republic of Congo in June last year.

"I did not know that this is the type of the frustration I will get in my own country. I find it difficult to understand why they want me to bring a parent yet I have a fingerprint form, a driver's licence and a military training licence that were signed and stamped at Luveve Police Station.

"The most painful part is that I saw hundreds of people being turned away for different reasons, while some people's particulars were sorted out in just a few minutes because they have money.

"When I spent the night at the RG's office, I was shocked to see employees serving people during the night while others were freezing outside. If you try to ask anything, they say 'asikavuli'," said Mr Scott.

Another aspiring voter who spoke on condition of anonymity said he was also told to bring a relative after spending two nights at the RG's office.

"I lost my identity card last month and made a report to the police. I spent Thursday night in the queue and I was told to come back the next day after I was given a slip. On Friday I was then told to bring a relative with the same surname to prove my identity.

"This is not fair. We have been hearing the gospel of registering to vote but now we are being deprived of our right to vote. Now we do not know where to go to get our papers in order.

"The employees at the RG's office are spending two to three hours having their lunch every day while people spend several nights outside their offices, just to put their documents in order. We want something to be done so that we all vote," he said.

Efforts to get a comment from the Bulawayo provincial registrar, Mrs Jane Peters were fruitless as she was said to be out of office yesterday.