HARARE - Following the fee slash on ordinary passports from US$140 to US$50 the number of people queuing for travel documents has escalated.
“I had to wake up as early as 2am to come and queue for the passport, but when I arrived many people were already in the queue, some even sleep here, said Thabo Sibanda. A visit to the passport offices clearly showed a return of the long forgotten queues and the frustration-cum- anticipation of being stuck at the passport office the whole day.
This comes at a time when Zimbabweans in South Africa were told to acquire rightful documents for their stay in South Africa. People welcomed the fee reduction and South Africas move to legalise Zimbabweans stay in their country, however, many expressed disappointment over the corruption of some passport officials who accept bribes to process the documents faster.
“What the government did is welcome but many officials are now getting bribes from people who want their documents to be processed at a convenient pace,” she said.
Post published in: News