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Andile Tshuma, Chronicle Reporter
THE passport backlog has ballooned to 200 000 and the Registrar General’s Office is left with special paper to process only 2 000 passports due to foreign currency shortages.

Registrar General (RG) Mr Clemence Masango, in a telephone interview yesterday, said foreign currency shortages were crippling operations, hence delays in service delivery.

Last year in November the backlog was at 163 000, but the figure has since risen to 200 000.

“As I have previously explained, we have been having foreign currency challenges that have hindered us from working in a timely manner according to our client service charter. The situation has caused the ballooning of the backlog as we receive new applications while we are still working on clearing the backlog,” said Mr Masango.

He said they were expecting treasury to address the matter soon.

“Treasury is attending to the matter and we are expecting normalcy to return soon as the public is expecting normal and competent service.

“We are not going to close operations, however, we are unable to provide passports as soon as they would be expected to be out. Production is still on, although we are at this moment not able to work according to our client service charter due to challenges I have outlined,” said Mr Masango.

He said the current forex shortage does not affect the provision of emergency passports.

“The urgent passports are not affected; therefore first preference is given to them. All things being equal, we would be able to clear the backlog in about four months.

“Our plant has the capacity to do that as I can deploy staff on extra shifts to deal with the backlog.

However, the current situation and shortage of forex to procure required materials is a major hindrance,” said Mr Masango.

According to the RG’s Office Client Service Charter, the cheapest passport valued at $53 should be issued within four weeks.

However, applicants are now waiting for more than three months to get one as forex challenges have crippled the department’s capacity to produce 3 000 passports daily.

“We have a capacity to produce about 3 000 passports daily but given the current challenges we are failing to keep up. All passport materials, threads, ink and stationery are sourced from outside the country and like any Government department, we have to rely on forex allocations which are highly competitive,” said the Registrar General.

He said the number of passports that were left uncollected had gone down as people had responded to his call to come and collect the much-sought-after document, but could not immediately give the latest figure.

Last year about 11 000 passports remained uncollected.

Some expired before collection with others dating as back as 2000. — @andile_tshuma