By Ziyah News Reporter
Reports emerging from various parts of the country, including Gweru and the capital Harare, indicate a resurgence of corruption and bribery in the issuance of national identity cards.
Contrary to the standard procedure where IDs are obtained for free, with a replacement fee of US$10 for lost cards, citizens are now being forced to pay over the top bribes to access this essential document be.
Eyewitnesses in Gweru and Harare revealed to Ziyah News that individuals are sleeping outside Registrar General’s offices, waiting for their turn, only to be told that only a limited number will be served.
In Harare’s Market Square branch, a resident disclosed that only 40 people are attended to daily, with varying amounts in bribes required to be among the “lucky ones.”
“At market square, they are taking only 40 people and on top of the replacement fee of 10 l paid 30 dollars to be among the 40 ‘lucky ones’, said the informant
Similarly, in Gweru, sources confirmed that people are queuing overnight, with only 30 individuals served daily – 20 from the queue and 10 who receive preferential treatment after paying bribes.
Here people are sleeping in the Queue and sometimes fail to access to get the ID, they are taking 30 people , 20 who are in the queue and 10 who come at 8 am and get preferential treatment (after paying bribes)” said the source.
In outlying areas, the green paper waiting pass is the one being given to ID seekers, the challenge being most institutions like banks do not recognise the waiting pass. Whilst the Government has done well in the issuance of passports clearing a backlog which had reached hundreds of thousands, the same cannot be said when it comes to National IDs whose production has remained somewhat a challenge.