HARARE – At least 96,491 national identity documents have been issued to citizens during the ongoing countrywide mop-up mobile registration exercise, Registrar General Henry Machiri told Parliament on Monday.
The country’s registry department is currently conducting a national mobile mop-up registration exercise which commenced on 1 May this year and is set to run up to July 31.
The blitz is to ensure that citizens are issued with the necessary identity documents to enable them to vote in the country’s 2023 harmonised elections due not later than August this year.
The exercise is also focusing on issuance of birth and death certificates.
Machiri told Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Defence, Home Affairs and Security Services that the cited national identity documents are being issued for free while some of the registration requirements have also been relaxed.
At least 103,992 births and 2,762 death certificates have also been issued during the national process.
“We are hoping we will capture as many people as possible.
“We also believe that there are some people who still do not have identity documents to enable them to register to vote,” Machiri said.
The top bureaucrat said in addition to physical registry offices, a total of 187 mobile registration teams were deployed for the ongoing civic exercise.
Machiri however said the department was facing challenges with the payment of allowances for officers conducting mobile registration due to delays in the release of funds by treasury.
“To date, some members who participated in the 2022 national mobile registration exercise have not yet been paid their outstanding allowances backdating to July 2022.
“The mobile registration exercise is progressing well despite late release of funds by the treasury,” he said.
The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission has since opened the voters’ roll for inspection, paving way for this year’s harmonised elections.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa is this week expected to proclaim the date on which Zimbabweans will go for polls.
