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MIRROR REPORTER

CHIREDZI-Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage, Kazembe Kazembe, has said they are opening an E-Passport office in Chiredzi. 
He told The Mirror that his Ministry would do a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction soon. Kazembe could not, however, comment on when construction of the offices will begin. 
“Chiredzi is also going to have E-Passport offices to allow citizens to have easy access to passports,” said Kazembe.
The government is decentralizing E-Passport from provincial cities to districts to make the services more accessible. 
Masvingo, Mashonaland Central, and Manicaland Provinces are the only three remaining provinces without E-passport offices. 
Last week, they held a groundbreaking ceremony in Mutare. They expect to complete the project in eight months. People in Masvingo travel to Zvishavane to access the services. Chiredzi District is also close to South Africa and Mozambique. Residents cross into the neighbouring countries using illegal routes because they do not have passports.
Chiredzi South legislator Brigadier General (retired) Calisto Gwanetsa welcomed the move. He said they lobbied for the offices in Parliament. This will see a sharp decrease in residents who use illegal routes to cross into Mozambique and SA.
“I am happy with the move. We talked about it in Parliament for a long time. As a member of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Defence, Home Affairs and Security Services, the issue has been on the table, and I am happy with the outcome.
“Most people in my constituency do not have passports and were crossing into neighbouring countries through illegal routes and risked being attacked by wild animals and crocodiles,” said Gwanetsa.