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Chronicle Reporter
OVER 4 000 people in Tsholotsho had been issued with national identity documents when a mobile registration exercise ended yesterday in the district.

In her post-Cabinet briefing yesterday, the Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Monica Mutsvangwa said Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister Kazembe Kazembe had reported on progress made in mobile registration exercises undertaken in Tsholotsho, Matabeleland North province and in Bikita, Masvingo province.

In Tsholotsho, the exercise sought to document those affected by the 2017 floods, including the Tjawo (San) community in the district.

Minister Mutsvangwa said going forward, the mobile registration exercise will be extended to other districts in need, starting with Bulilima District in Matabeleland South.

She said Cabinet had noted with pleasure that the exercise commenced smoothly and has been successfully undertaken providing critical registration documents to distressed citizens affected by natural calamities.

“In Tsholotsho, a total of 4 169 national identity documents were issued broken down as follows: 3 542 initial birth registration for children under the age of 16 years; 600 initial birth registration for persons above 16 years of age; 46 duplicate birth certificates were issued to children under 16 years of age; 625 duplicate birth certificates were issued to persons above the age of 16 years; and 58 death certificates,” she said.

“The Bikita mobile registration programme commenced on 6 September, 2021, and ended on 5 October, 2021, while the Tsholotsho exercise ran from 13 September to 12 October, 2021. The services availed during the mobile registration exercises in the two districts covered birth, death and national identity registration.”

The Minister said 4 397 national identity documents were issued in Bikita.

“Government commends the Civil Registry Department for the stakeholder participation approach which it adopted in implementing the exercises, which resulted in effective coordination of the project. Together with the awareness campaigns undertaken through rural district committees, traditional and community leaders, and local radio stations, huge turnouts were witnessed at mobile registration centres from the first day,” said the Minister.

“Going forward, the mobile registration exercise will be extended to other districts in need, starting with the Bulilima District in Matabeleland South Province. Voter registration will also be concurrently undertaken as part of the exercise.”