News / National
'Zimbabwe ID passports,' Mudede speaks out
24 Jul 2014 at 08:45hrs | Views
Registrar-GENERAL Mr Tobaiwa Mudede yesterday said his call for use of machine-readable biometric identity cards to cross borders was not meant to replace passports as an international travel document.
He said in a statement that the proposal was meant to assist communities within borders, particularly in Beitbridge, whenever they wanted to cross into neighbouring countries to buy groceries and return on the same day.
Mr Mudede was responding to a NewsDay report yesterday under the headline "Mudede wants plastic IDs as passports".
In the article, the paper reported that Mr Mudede told parliamentarians visiting Makombe Building in Harare on Tuesday that the security features on the Zimbabwean ID cards made up of polythene and synthetic material were better than those on passports.
The paper further said Mr Mudede told the legislators that IDs could be used alongside passports as travel documents because they were machine-readable at the highly computerised ports of entry.
"In the past, these people (living along borders) used to be issued with border passes to cross into the neighbouring country to buy basic commodities and return the same day," said Mr Mudede.
The NewDay story had given the impression that Mr Mudede was calling for people to be allowed to use national IDs as travel documents in the absence of passports.
"However, in 2010, when the South Africa government hosted the 2010 World Cup it stopped accepting all travel documents which are not classified as passports. This affected some Sadc countries."
The RG's Office, said Mr Mudede, mooted the idea of engaging the South African government and others to discuss permitting Zimbabwean identity card holders to cross into neighbouring countries to buy basic necessaries and return to the country the same day.
The NewDay story had given the impression that Mr Mudede was calling for people to be allowed to use national IDs as travel documents in the absence of passports.
He said in a statement that the proposal was meant to assist communities within borders, particularly in Beitbridge, whenever they wanted to cross into neighbouring countries to buy groceries and return on the same day.
Mr Mudede was responding to a NewsDay report yesterday under the headline "Mudede wants plastic IDs as passports".
In the article, the paper reported that Mr Mudede told parliamentarians visiting Makombe Building in Harare on Tuesday that the security features on the Zimbabwean ID cards made up of polythene and synthetic material were better than those on passports.
The paper further said Mr Mudede told the legislators that IDs could be used alongside passports as travel documents because they were machine-readable at the highly computerised ports of entry.
The NewDay story had given the impression that Mr Mudede was calling for people to be allowed to use national IDs as travel documents in the absence of passports.
"However, in 2010, when the South Africa government hosted the 2010 World Cup it stopped accepting all travel documents which are not classified as passports. This affected some Sadc countries."
The RG's Office, said Mr Mudede, mooted the idea of engaging the South African government and others to discuss permitting Zimbabwean identity card holders to cross into neighbouring countries to buy basic necessaries and return to the country the same day.
The NewDay story had given the impression that Mr Mudede was calling for people to be allowed to use national IDs as travel documents in the absence of passports.
Source - The Herald
