Aliens citizenship status a matter of urgency in Zimbabwe

Chegutu West legislator Dexter Nduna says the primary concern of citizenship status of aliens should be addressed as a matter of urgency.

The Constitution of Zimbabwe is very clear on the issue of citizenship and registration of children, including those born to alien parents but nearly four years after the adoption of the current supreme law of the land, thousands of adults remain stateless.

Recently, thousands of aliens  from Chegutu  turned up for an exercise meant to provide them an opportunity to meet staff from the Registrar General's office for an appraisal on citizenship and birth registration issues.

The occasion proved to be an eye opener as to the magnitude of the challenges pertaining to citizenship regularisation for aliens.

Member of the national assembly for Chegutu West Nduna said while the constitution clearly spells out guidelines on citizenship, there seems to be administrative hindrances curtailing regularisation of the status of aliens.

He also said children born to alien parents often find it difficult to acquire birth certificates after 42 days from the date of birth as any registration beyond that period will require the parents to have bonafide national identity cards, which most do not have.

Aliens do not vote in Zimbabwe also.