Rutendo Chirume
The Mwenezi Civil Registry Office located at Rutenga growth point has not disbursed passports applied for three months ago, and officials are saying they do not have transport to fetch the processed passports from Harare.
Frustrated applicants who have waited for their passports for over a month told EnviroPress that the office, which was opened on 19 February 2024, last disbursed passports on 22 March 2025.
“I have been waiting for a passport which I applied for in late April but I have been told thrice that it’s not yet available. This is not fair considering that I paid the US$170 passport fee in full and my passport was supposed to be available after seven days,” said one applicant.
Another applicant said she applied for a passport in March but the document was yet to be issued to her over two months later.
“I and many others have waited for several weeks for our passports but they are not coming. Officials at the office keep telling us that there is no transport to fetch the passports from Harare yet they keep accepting new applications,” said the applicant who also requested anonymity.
An official at the Mwenezi passport office who requested anonymity confirmed the issue saying nobody at the office had any idea of when the problem would be resolved.
“It is true we have not been able to issue any passports and that we still accept new applications. We are not able to collect the processed passports from Harare due to transport related challenges. I would encourage those who wish to have their passports quicker to use the Zvishavane branch,” said the source.
When contacted for comment, Masvingo Provincial Registrar Sithembeni Chitsa refused to provide a clear response, demanding that all questions be sent to her in writing.
“I will not discuss this over the phone. You can write a letter directed to the responsible office to find the correct position. I am driving, can you call me again tomorrow maybe,” said Chitsa before cutting the call.
In 2023, government rolled up what it termed ‘e-passport centres’ in some districts of the country as a way of devolving the passport application process to make it more convenient and cheaper for people in marginalized districts but processing is still done only in Harare.
