Paper Shortages Disrupt Civil Registry Services, Again
Civil registry services in Gweru District have, again, been disrupted by shortages of printing paper and receipt books, forcing client referrals to Shurugwi and delaying issuance of identity documents. Authorities say supplies are on the way to restore normal operations.
Dumisani Ndlovu 
Gweru – A shortage of printing paper, birth and death certificate stationery and official receipt books has disrupted services at the Gweru District Civil Registry Office, forcing some applicants to seek services in Shurugwi while others endure long delays in obtaining essential identity documents.
Sources at the registry office told Kwedu News that before receipt books were exhausted last week, officials resorted to issuing a single official receipt for up to five clients to keep services running.
Once the receipt books ran out completely, officials could no longer process payments, effectively bringing some services to a halt.
The sources said some clients were referred to the Shurugwi District Civil Registry Office after Gweru ran out of the materials required to process applications.
The shortages have affected the issuance of birth certificates, death certificates and national identity cards, leaving many citizens unable to access documents needed for school enrolment, employment, passport applications and other essential services.
However, Midlands Provincial Registrar, George Dumani, said the situation was temporary and that measures had already been taken to restore normal operations.
"I cannot comment much because the materials are currently in transit," Dumani said.
"On that issue, everything will soon be back to normal because we took mitigation measures which helped prevent us from plunging into a genuine crisis.
"As we speak, our officer is in Harare collecting the required materials," he said.
The shortages comes amid wider concerns over intermittent shortages of stationery and printing materials affecting civil registration services in some parts of the country.
The issue was raised sometime last year in Parliament, where Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister, Kazembe Kazembe, acknowledged shortages of paper and other essential consumables used by the Civil Registry Department.
The Minister said Government was working with the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion to address the funding challenges responsible for the shortages and to ensure uninterrupted service delivery.
