Passport system back online
Nevanji Munyaradzi Chiondegwa
The banking system disruption which affected the issuance of e-passports last week has been resolved, Government has said.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Mr Nick Mangwana said there were issues with the CBZ Bank system but they have since been resolved.
“There was a glitch in the processes, in that the CBZ Banking System was offline due to a technical fault which has since been rectified,” said PS Mangwana.
Yesterday, the Civil Registry had released a statement explaining disruptions in the production process.
Mr Henry Tawona Machiri, the Registrar General said;
“The Civil Registry Department wishes to inform its valued clients and stakeholders that the Department is currently experiencing challenges in the issuance of vital civil registration and travel documents due to a technical fault.”
He went on to say, “Our technicians are working tirelessly to rectify the situation and members of the public are urged to remain calm and bear with us during this time.”
He urged the public the public to disregard messages circulating on various social media platforms pertaining to the issuance of passports.
He said any information regarding the matter will be communicated by the Department through its formal channels.
The Registrar General said, “We sincerely apologize for inconveniences caused by this development which we are working around the clock to address.”
The Department in collaboration with the partner Garsu Pasaulis (GP) has made significant improvements in the issuance of electronic passports (e-passports) and since January 2022, a total of 140 000 passports have been issued.
The e-passport project has also been successfully cascaded to Bulawayo, Lupane, Chitungwiza, Murewa and Hwange. Recently, the project was completed in Gweru and Beitbridge; and by end of October 2022 it will be completed in all the provinces.
The Department also resumed clearance of the passport backlog in July 2022 which saw the figure reduced to 80 000 from 176 000 as at 10 August 2022. All things being equal, the backlog will be cleared by end of September 2022.
On the mobile registration which the Department is running, Mr Machiri said that more than two million civil registration documents including birth certificates, death certificates and national identity documents have been issued. The programme is expected to be completed by 30 September 2022.
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