News / National
Passport scam exposed
06 Apr 2013 at 21:27hrs | Views
OFFICERS at some passport offices in the country are allegedly demanding a US$10 fee to facilitate the search and collection process of passports from those who would have applied for the travel documents.
The officers are accused of unashamedly forcing people who do not subscribe to the culture of bribing to comply by simply dilly-dallying with the documents until they are paid through "vendors'' outside the passport offices, who will be doing the cash collection on their behalf.
A group of people who walked into the Sunday News fumed at the officials at the passport offices, saying they have become a law unto themselves as they have the power to give or not to give the document despite one having paid for it and having all the documentation.
They said the level of corruption at the offices had reached fever pitch and urgent action needed to be taken to arrest the scam.
"I went there after six weeks to get my passport but surprisingly I was asked to pay US$10. When I inquired what the search fee was for since I had all the required receipts, the guy never bothered to answer but instead called the next person leaving me planted and wondering what was going on. He made me look like I am a foreigner, like I do not belong and it is my wish to see Government taking its employees especially the ones at various passport offices for better public relations. They are not only rough but very arrogant to the public despite us being their paymasters.
"It was not going to take him two minutes to explain to me what the US$10 he was demanding was for. I did not get my passport that day and the next. It was when I asked others that I was told that they don't tolerate questions and that they bark instructions and you follow without questions that I then forked out the US$10 that I got no receipt for and my passport was brought to me and I was told to leave since they had done me a big favour,'' said one woman who identified herself as Mrs Ncube.
The officials are said to be making use of boys selling black ballpoint pens and passport cases, who do the cash collection for them. The boys collect the passport collection receipts, go inside and bring the passports.
Bulawayo Provincial Registrar, Ms Jane Peters said in an interview, that she was not aware of any such happenings. She said the US$10 search fee was charged to those who would have lost their receipts and not those with their application receipts.
"I am not aware of that. The only US$10 that I know is a mandatory search fee for those who would have lost their receipts. And it is supposed to be receipted. Those with their receipts are not supposed to pay anything. They should simply submit their receipts and get their travelling documents. I have not even received any such complaint to that effect,'' said Ms Peters.
The same is also said to be happening in Gwanda and Masvingo where people are made to spend two or three days without getting the document as punishment for not paying the US$10 search fee even if one has the required receipts. The officials are said to be using the same modus operandi of employing vendors as cash collectors.
The officers are accused of unashamedly forcing people who do not subscribe to the culture of bribing to comply by simply dilly-dallying with the documents until they are paid through "vendors'' outside the passport offices, who will be doing the cash collection on their behalf.
A group of people who walked into the Sunday News fumed at the officials at the passport offices, saying they have become a law unto themselves as they have the power to give or not to give the document despite one having paid for it and having all the documentation.
They said the level of corruption at the offices had reached fever pitch and urgent action needed to be taken to arrest the scam.
"I went there after six weeks to get my passport but surprisingly I was asked to pay US$10. When I inquired what the search fee was for since I had all the required receipts, the guy never bothered to answer but instead called the next person leaving me planted and wondering what was going on. He made me look like I am a foreigner, like I do not belong and it is my wish to see Government taking its employees especially the ones at various passport offices for better public relations. They are not only rough but very arrogant to the public despite us being their paymasters.
"It was not going to take him two minutes to explain to me what the US$10 he was demanding was for. I did not get my passport that day and the next. It was when I asked others that I was told that they don't tolerate questions and that they bark instructions and you follow without questions that I then forked out the US$10 that I got no receipt for and my passport was brought to me and I was told to leave since they had done me a big favour,'' said one woman who identified herself as Mrs Ncube.
The officials are said to be making use of boys selling black ballpoint pens and passport cases, who do the cash collection for them. The boys collect the passport collection receipts, go inside and bring the passports.
Bulawayo Provincial Registrar, Ms Jane Peters said in an interview, that she was not aware of any such happenings. She said the US$10 search fee was charged to those who would have lost their receipts and not those with their application receipts.
"I am not aware of that. The only US$10 that I know is a mandatory search fee for those who would have lost their receipts. And it is supposed to be receipted. Those with their receipts are not supposed to pay anything. They should simply submit their receipts and get their travelling documents. I have not even received any such complaint to that effect,'' said Ms Peters.
The same is also said to be happening in Gwanda and Masvingo where people are made to spend two or three days without getting the document as punishment for not paying the US$10 search fee even if one has the required receipts. The officials are said to be using the same modus operandi of employing vendors as cash collectors.
Source - SM
