12 Zimbabwe Registrar General's Office employees denied bail

Twelve employees from the Registrar General's Office in Harare, accused of fraudulently issuing passports to four Cameroonian nationals, were denied bail yesterday by Harare regional magistrate Mrs. Marehwanazvo Gofa. The employees, who have been in custody since last week, are facing charges of criminal abuse of office, and Mrs. Gofa ruled that they are a flight risk given the severity of the allegations. The accused were ordered to return to court on October 17 as investigations continue.

The accused individuals are Ruramai Mutyatya (47), Maureen Natasha Munemo (32), Chiedza Hlomani (34), Romio Shonhiwa (45), Marian Roman (40), Tanaka Lisaphael Magaya (27), Edith Moto (38), Grace Kapungu (34), Lackmore Chinokokora (34), Neria Sombi (44), Trymore Chipanga (26), and Acid Asidi (42). Mutyatya, a supervisor, and eight others are processing officers at the Registrar General's passport office. The remaining three accused are cleaners employed by Advert (Pvt) Ltd, currently seconded to the office.

According to the prosecution, led by Mr. Lancelot Mutsokoti, the scheme began on September 17 when an individual known only as Tafadzwa or "Mai Tayara," who is still at large, allegedly orchestrated the fraudulent issuance of Zimbabwean passports to four Cameroonian nationals: Christiana BoyembeDumba, Emile MuyaMuya, Marvel NgeiTegha, and Yvette KumNnam. The Cameroonians, who had not acquired Zimbabwean citizenship, received fraudulent Zimbabwean birth certificates from the Registrar's Office in Mount Darwin and National Identity cards from the Market Square office in Harare.

Tafadzwa reportedly conspired with three cleaners to help the Cameroonians navigate the passport application process, as the individuals did not speak any local languages and were unable to pronounce the surnames on their forged documents. Nine processing officers allegedly participated in the scheme by failing to verify the inconsistencies between the information on the passport application forms and the birth certificates.

The four Cameroonians were arrested on September 21 at Beitbridge Border Post by Zimbabwean immigration officials as they attempted to cross into South Africa using the fraudulently obtained Zimbabwean passports. Christiana BoyembeDumba's passport was issued under the name Christiana Mhereyenyoka, Emile MuyaMuya's under Emile Chingwaru, Marvel NgeiTegha's under Marvel Chimbwanda, and Yvette KumNnam's under Yvette Maini.

The case has drawn significant attention as authorities continue investigating the extent of the fraud within the Registrar General's Office.