Mudede's office in mop up exercise ahead of polls

The Registrar General's Office has embarked on a national civil registration mop-up exercise for people to acquire identity documents ahead of harmonised elections due in a few months time.

The one-month mop-up exercise began on Monday this week and ends on May 16.

This comes after the RG's office conducted an extensive mobile registration which began in September last year and ended on January 31 this year.

The department is focusing on registration of national identity cards and births and deaths certificates. Citizens by descent are also being covered during the mop-up period.

Registrar General Mr Tobaiwa Mudede confirmed the development on Tuesday.

"The mop up vital civil registration exercise has started throughout the whole country at designated centres and static offices," he said. "The said mobile registration began on Monday, April 16, 2018, to May 16, 2018. This exercise is an extension of the vital civil mobile registration which commenced last year in September and ended on January 31, 2018.

"The documents are required to facilitate the registration of voters in preparation for the forthcoming harmonised elections."

Mr Mudede said documents to be covered during the registration included "national identity cards, birth certificates, death certificates and citizens by descent (person born outside Zimbabwe one of whose parents is a citizen by birth)."

He said the desired personal documents would be issued free of charge. "The respective itineraries will be available at the provincial and district offices countrywide," Mr Mudede said.

"Please contact provincial or district registrars for further information. We would like to thank Treasury for availing the funds for this important exercise to be carried out."

The initial mobile registration exercise had mobile teams in every district in the country's 10 provinces.

Mr Mudede said: "We appeal to all citizens to come forward and register for personal documents. Requirements have to be met as prescribed by the law. Every corner in the country will be covered."

The RG's office is also urging those with metal identity cards to change to polythene-synthetic identity cards.

Contrary to misconceptions by opposition parties and private media, metal identity cards remain valid and authentic. The RG's office said if the metal identity cards were to become invalid, the department would issue a statutory instrument to that effect.