By Patience Rashai

The Registrar-General’s (RG) Office has finalised the decentralisation of its birth registration facilities and national identity document centres in various parts of the country with Matebeleland provinces topping the priority list following an outcry over the large numbers of people without birth certificates within the region.

This decentralisation comes in the wake of new passport offices set for Chitungwiza and Murehwa districts to deal with the large number of people flocking to Harare to apply for travel documents.

Responding to a question by Bulawayo Metropolitan legislator, Nicola Jane Watson in the August House this Wednesday, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage, Mike Madiro said that Government was set to open new offices within Matebeleland North and South-rural as it stems up efforts to improve the services accessibility.

“Government acknowledges the many reports on Bulawayo residence without birth-certificates, hence why we are trying to hasten rectifying the problem by decentralising offices creating rural district offices.

“Bulawayo’s main issue has been about citizens without birth certificates, largely due to the fact that their parents do not possess proper identification as well (no births and IDs), as such the need to open new offices so that the different cases can be dealt with on an individual basis and with the requisite urgency.”

The births and deaths registration act (chapter 5:02) section 10 makes it mandatory for the RG’s office to avail registrations for all, a situation they intend to attain in Matebeleland following revelation of at least 6 000 people without registration.

As part of the decentralisation process, the department currently has offices in all 10 provinces, administrative centres in all the 72 districts as well as 206 sub offices.