By Tafadzwa Chigandiwa
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) have given the Registrar General’s office a week ultimatum to address the huge national identity documents backlog in the country.
Writing on their official twitter page, the human rights lawyers said a large number of citizens did not have birth certificates and national IDs due to the backlog.
“We recently have gave the Registra General a 7 day ultimatum to furnish us with a plan of action that the RG’s office is implementing to clear a backlog of several citizens without birth certificates and national identity documents.”
Over the past years the registrar general’s office has failed to clear a backlog of birth certificates, national identity cards and passport dating back as far as 2019.
ZLHR sought for clarity on the way forward in terms of issuing these documents.
“In a letter written by @Tinashe Chinox a number of citizens don’t have national identinty cards because of purported shortage of materials to produce them.
“@TinasheChinox said it’s imperative and a constitutional right for citizens to be issued by the State with birth certificates and national IDs.”
The Constitution of Zimbabwe, in Section 35 (3) stipulates that its every citizen’s right to possess national identity documents.
Government recently announced that all 2021 examination seating candidates will be allowed to get their IDs but the exercise was suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
