Registrar-General Clement Masango said that the government has agreed on a payment plan with suppliers of consumables for the production of passports who are owed an undisclosed amount of money.
Masango also revealed that the passports backlog now stands at 370 000 while his office continues to receive 1 200 new applications daily. He said:
On a daily basis, we receive an average of 1 200 new applications for passports and we are only able to process 800 applications daily.
Which means that on our daily requirements, we are unable to process the other 400, a figure that builds on the backlog.
Recently, there was chaos at Makombe Building in Harare as thousands of desperate citizens jostled for emergency passports following rumours that the Registrar-general’s office has issued out an invitation.
Only a few people were served on that day, with anti-riot police having to be deployed to Harare Street to maintain order.