THE Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage has announced plans to computerise Civil Registry Department sub-offices across Zimbabwe, a move expected to transform service delivery, enhance data protection, and bring essential services closer to citizens. Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister, Honourable Kazembe Kazembe said the drive to modernise civil registration is aligned with President Mnangagwa’s Vision 2030, which seeks to build an empowered upper-middle-income society. He said the computerisation of sub-offices will ensure that Government services are more efficient, transparent, and accessible to every Zimbabwean, regardless of where they live.
“By computerising our civil registry sub-offices, we are safeguarding citizens’ records, improving security, and ensuring every Zimbabwean has their rights protected. This reflects the Second Republic’s broader vision for good governance, a vision where Government services are accessible, transparent, and efficient,” he said. Minister Kazembe explained that the Civil Registry Department is, not only central to issuing essential documents such as passports, birth and death certificates, and national identity cards, but also a custodian of the national citizens’ database.
He said protecting this data through modern digital systems is now a national priority. “The protection of this data must be treated with utmost care and confidentiality.
My ministry remains fully committed to implementing robust measures to safeguard our information systems and processes. Computerisation will play a key role in this regard, making sure records are well documented, accurate, and secure,” he added.
Minister Kazembe said a well-functioning and digitised civil registry system will also provide reliable population data, which is vital for economic planning, governance, and monitoring of development goals. “Civil registration is not just about documents – it is about people. It connects them to education, healthcare, banking, and other critical services. Through computerisation, we are ensuring no one is left behind,” he said. Minister Kazembe said Zimbabwe’s obligations under various international protocols, including conventions on children’s rights and International Civil Aviation Organisation standards, demand secure and modern systems. “Zimbabwe is bound by regional and international protocols which require us to adopt secure, modern, and machine-readable systems. Computerising our sub-offices will, not only uphold the integrity of our national documentation process, but also ensure our documents are recognised globally,” he said.
The Minister said decentralisation of services will be reinforced by computerisation, allowing citizens in remote and rural areas to access e-passport services and other key documents without travelling long distances to provincial offices.
