News / National
Replacement fees for IDs slashed
24 Apr 2013 at 04:06hrs | Views
CABINET has directed the Registrar-General's Office to replace lost identity documents for all Zimbabweans free of charge until the last day of voter registration for the forthcoming harmonised polls.
After the elections, Cabinet resolved that the Registrar-General would reduce the replacement cost of identity documents lost through negligence from US$10 to US$5.
Those who lose the documents through circumstances beyond their control, Cabinet said, would get replacements free of charge.
Aliens have also been granted the nod to get identity cards with immediate effect so that they can register as voters.
This is contained in a policy document on the civic registration of citizens endorsed by Cabinet yesterday.
The document has a number of measures to ensure that citizens register as voters.
Addressing the media yesterday, Home Affairs co-Minister Theresa Makone, who was flanked by Defence Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa - who was standing in for co-Minister Kembo Mohadi - said Government wanted to afford every citizen the right to vote.
"Prior to the harmonised elections of 2013, all identity documents shall be availed to citizens, free of charge, for a period up to the closing of the roll," she said.
"At the same time, those who are not on the voters' roll can be automatically entered on it."
She said for one to get a replacement, they would have to produce supporting evidence from the police that indeed the ID was lost.
Cabinet, Minister Makone said, also directed the Registrar-General's Office to provide an electronic version of the voters' roll to all stakeholders while the printed version would cost US$5 000 per copy.
She said in the past, the voters' roll cost about US$30 000 which political parties agreed was not affordable.
Minister Makone said Cabinet also instructed Treasury to source about US$13 million required for mobile voter registration that is expected to start immediately, adding that one vehicle would be required per ward.
"The current law as it stands - even before the new Constitution comes into effect - is that anyone born in Zimbabwe or born of either parent being a Zimbabwean is a Zimbabwean and is entitled to be a voter.
"However, aliens with alien IDs should have these swapped for citizen IDs. They need to change their IDs to be citizen IDs.
"Aliens can go right now to register as voters after changing their IDs to become Zimbabwean IDs, not alien IDs immediately. They should not wait for the new Constitution to become law," said Minister Makone.
She said aliens would be expected to present the voter registration slips together with their IDs even if their names were not in the voters' roll.
She said married women who moved from their original birthplaces would be registered in their new places of residence upon authentication by husband, husband's relatives, their children, neighbours, elderly people and or traditional leaders.
Minister Makone added that all voters should be facilitated to change their address once they move from their old to new residential addresses.
Minister Mnangagwa said mobile voter registration was delayed because of lack of funds.
"It has not begun because the office of the Registrar-General is not funded. Cabinet made sure that the office of the Minister of Finance should secure funds and release the funds to the office of the Registrar-General so that they can be on the ground as soon as the funds will be made available," said Minister Mnangagwa.
"Voter registration is a continuous process. When we are approaching a general election like now, we emphasise that people must register. It's now a question of emphasis and not of law because currently you can go and register even before the new Constitution is assented to by the President.
"We have decided as Cabinet that we give more time to our people to register. We begin this massive registration from now. That will be encompassed within the process. It may even go up to 40 days or more, but we are going to begin now as long as we get the funding."
He said voter registration would go ahead even after the new Constitution comes into force.
Minister Makone said the Registrar -General's office would deal with the irregularities picked up by Zanu-PF in Marondera where suspected MDC-T activists were registered using fake addresses.
She said Cabinet also ordered the Registrar-General's office to ensure that there were two windows for passport applications for urgent and ordinary passports.
Ordinary passports, Minister Makone said, must be issued no later than four weeks from the date of application adding that the Registrar-General's office must accept downloaded passport forms.
She said Cabinet also said babies born at clinics should be issued with birth certificates immediately, while logistics should be put in place to ensure that the service was available countrywide.
Babies born at home, Cabinet ordered, should be issued with birth certificates as soon as practically possible at the nearest office of the Registrar-General's office.
After the elections, Cabinet resolved that the Registrar-General would reduce the replacement cost of identity documents lost through negligence from US$10 to US$5.
Those who lose the documents through circumstances beyond their control, Cabinet said, would get replacements free of charge.
Aliens have also been granted the nod to get identity cards with immediate effect so that they can register as voters.
This is contained in a policy document on the civic registration of citizens endorsed by Cabinet yesterday.
The document has a number of measures to ensure that citizens register as voters.
Addressing the media yesterday, Home Affairs co-Minister Theresa Makone, who was flanked by Defence Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa - who was standing in for co-Minister Kembo Mohadi - said Government wanted to afford every citizen the right to vote.
"Prior to the harmonised elections of 2013, all identity documents shall be availed to citizens, free of charge, for a period up to the closing of the roll," she said.
"At the same time, those who are not on the voters' roll can be automatically entered on it."
She said for one to get a replacement, they would have to produce supporting evidence from the police that indeed the ID was lost.
Cabinet, Minister Makone said, also directed the Registrar-General's Office to provide an electronic version of the voters' roll to all stakeholders while the printed version would cost US$5 000 per copy.
She said in the past, the voters' roll cost about US$30 000 which political parties agreed was not affordable.
Minister Makone said Cabinet also instructed Treasury to source about US$13 million required for mobile voter registration that is expected to start immediately, adding that one vehicle would be required per ward.
"The current law as it stands - even before the new Constitution comes into effect - is that anyone born in Zimbabwe or born of either parent being a Zimbabwean is a Zimbabwean and is entitled to be a voter.
"However, aliens with alien IDs should have these swapped for citizen IDs. They need to change their IDs to be citizen IDs.
She said aliens would be expected to present the voter registration slips together with their IDs even if their names were not in the voters' roll.
She said married women who moved from their original birthplaces would be registered in their new places of residence upon authentication by husband, husband's relatives, their children, neighbours, elderly people and or traditional leaders.
Minister Makone added that all voters should be facilitated to change their address once they move from their old to new residential addresses.
Minister Mnangagwa said mobile voter registration was delayed because of lack of funds.
"It has not begun because the office of the Registrar-General is not funded. Cabinet made sure that the office of the Minister of Finance should secure funds and release the funds to the office of the Registrar-General so that they can be on the ground as soon as the funds will be made available," said Minister Mnangagwa.
"Voter registration is a continuous process. When we are approaching a general election like now, we emphasise that people must register. It's now a question of emphasis and not of law because currently you can go and register even before the new Constitution is assented to by the President.
"We have decided as Cabinet that we give more time to our people to register. We begin this massive registration from now. That will be encompassed within the process. It may even go up to 40 days or more, but we are going to begin now as long as we get the funding."
He said voter registration would go ahead even after the new Constitution comes into force.
Minister Makone said the Registrar -General's office would deal with the irregularities picked up by Zanu-PF in Marondera where suspected MDC-T activists were registered using fake addresses.
She said Cabinet also ordered the Registrar-General's office to ensure that there were two windows for passport applications for urgent and ordinary passports.
Ordinary passports, Minister Makone said, must be issued no later than four weeks from the date of application adding that the Registrar-General's office must accept downloaded passport forms.
She said Cabinet also said babies born at clinics should be issued with birth certificates immediately, while logistics should be put in place to ensure that the service was available countrywide.
Babies born at home, Cabinet ordered, should be issued with birth certificates as soon as practically possible at the nearest office of the Registrar-General's office.
Source - TH
