$18 million needed for birth, national ID registration

Government requires at least $18 million to conduct mobile birth and national identity registration in mostly farming and remote communities that will see people with alien status regularising their citizenship.

This is expected to accord previously disenfranchised people an opportunity to regularise their citizenship so that they can exercise their right to vote in the 2018 harmonised elections.

The outreach programme is expected to be conducted at all secondary schools in the country.

The biggest chunk of the Registrar-General's office budget will go towards travel and subsistence allowances, fuel and vehicles for staff who will conduct the exercise.

Home Affairs Deputy Minister Obedingwa Mguni, said government had to move with speed to regularise the status of people categorised as aliens.