Zimbabwe Home Affairs Ministry goes fully digital

THE Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Affairs has started implementing a digital integrated system (DIS) in all its departments to enhance crime detection, smoothen applications for national registration documents and curb corruption at border posts.

Also, the system will be designed to instantly detect and penalise motorists who commit traffic offences.

The system - which interlinks Government departments in real time, eliminating bureaucracy and revolutionising access to data - will be launched soon by President Mnangagwa.

In an interview, Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Kazembe Kazembe said progress has already been made in implementing the strategy.

"Civil Registry is already implementing what they call the Zimbabwe Population Registry System (ZPRS), which is part of this integrated solution. In 2019, the biggest challenge in my ministry was the issue of passports backlog but this (DIS) strategy has made it a bit easier because that is where we now have e-passports, which are a product of ZPRS.

"The decentralisation of services and setting up of new offices countrywide are part of the broader look of the strategy, which I can safely say is already bearing fruit."

Minister Kazembe said the Zimbabwe Republic Police Electronic Management System, which is part of the DIS, will identify traffic offenders and help to restore sanity on the roads.

"Within a fraction of a second, the system would have picked you for violating the traffic law, the car that you are driving and where you are coming from. The system, again, will be linked to the municipality. When everything is said and done, the system will be integrated to all other stakeholder ministries so that when you violate the laws, all your information will be instantly recorded," he said.

"If we get to where we want, the system will be linked to your bank. This is not a talk show but is already happening in other countries like Dubai, where, if you violate traffic rules, the money will be automatically deducted from your bank account."

He said the Immigration Department has finalised the procurement process for the Online Border Management System, which will help to manage port of entries effectively.

"Civil registration is at the tail end of the procurement process on the Online Border Management System, which will enable us to use our e-passports effectively.

"The Online Border Management System will also be issuing electronic visas, and, as you walk into the country, the system will automatically start counting the number of days that you are allocated by Immigration.

"These systems are going to be integrated within the Ministry of Home Affairs and will then be integrated to other stakeholders," said Minister Kazembe.

In an interview on Friday, chief immigration officer Ms Response Gono said the DIS enhances cooperation and coordination of all border agencies linked to Immigration.

"This includes stakeholders like ZRP (Zimbabwe Republic Police), Interpol, Civil Registry and Zimstat (Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency). The system will provide all information of a traveller at the click of a button. The envisaged system will allow real-time sharing and transmission of migration-related data. It will usher in E-gates at ports of entry and exit. E-platforms are the way to go as face-to- face facilities are reduced."

Ms Gono said the system will effectively curb corruption at borders.

"Integrated systems curb corruption at our ports of entry in that the system will assign officers tasks to complete until finalisation of processes. The system is expected to generally enhance service delivery in as far as provision of migration services is concerned."