'Zimbabwean aliens will remain aliens,' says Mudede

Tobaiwa Mudede, the Registrar General, says he will continue to call people of foreign origin "aliens" because that is what they are.

Mudede said this when he appeared before the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Defence and Home Affairs on Monday.

The committee, chaired by Glen View South MP Paul Madzore was quizzing Mudede on the on-going voter registration exercise, NewsDay reported.

MDC-T MP for Mbizo, Settlement Chikwinya recently told the House of Assembly the word "alien" was xenophobic and should be done away with.

"They are aliens," Mudede declared.

"Whether someone does not want to hear the word "alien" - it is unfortunate because we will pronounce it.

"It is not only pronounced in Zimbabwe, but the world over and the word is not alien to Zimbabwe as all Sadc countries have aliens, and we have attended meetings in Sadc and the AU and have taken that position."

Mudede told the committee that those "aliens" who came with IDs and birth certificates would not have to go through interviews to be registered as voters.

Mudede said people who had renounced their Zimbabwean citizenship could restore it by filling in Restoration Forms as prescribed by the law.

He said the new constitution and the law were not explicit on the issue of citizenship.