'Mawere must follow proper procedures to get a Zim passport'

REGISTRAR General (RG) Tobaiwa Mudede has denied refusing to give Mutumwa Mawere, who holds South African citizenship, a Zimbabwean passport.

Mudede told the South Africa-based businessman to follow laid down procedures in order to regain his citizenship.

Mawere, last month, said the registrar general had blocked his application for a new national identity card telling him that dual citizenship remained illegal even under the country's new constitution.

After their meeting at Mudede's Harare offices, Mawere subsequently wrote to the RG asking him to put his objections in writing to enable him to launch a challenge at the courts.

But in his response, Mudede said he never refused to restore Mawere's citizenship but merely outlined the procedures he needed to follow.

"The Registrar General did not refuse to restore Mawere's citizenship (rather, he) was advised as to the procedures to follow to enable his required restoration of the citizenship of Zimbabwe," Mudede said.

"It was noted that Mawere voluntarily acquired the citizenship of South Africa and is the holder of a South African passport. He renounced his Zimbabwean citizenship in favour of South African citizenship.

"Furthermore, he is a resident of South Africa who entered Zimbabwe and was granted seven days stay as a foreigner entering Zimbabwe. He is required to resume his residency status through the Zimbabwe immigration office in order to restore his citizenship."

Mudede said Mawere must also renounce his South African citizenship.

Mawere has however, described as absurd Mudede's assertion that he should renounce his South African citizenship.

"Renunciation of (South African) citizenship is not permissible unless the person concerned has another citizenship lest the person is rendered stateless which is not allowable in terms of the country's constitution," Mawere wrote in a letter to the RG.