Home Affairs Minister, Kazembe Kazembe has told Southern Eye that the ministry was investigating Lupane passport office following reports of corruption.
Kazembe said that his office had received letters from some junior officers who were accusing their bosses of asking for huge kickbacks from desperate passport seekers for them to accelerate the passport application process. He said:
You can neither confirm nor deny (the allegations) until you investigate, but yes, I have received a couple of letters. I don’t throw away the letters because information is power, I always make a follow-up. It is a matter under investigation.
We have a couple of letters that I have sent to the (Home Affairs) permanent secretary to investigate.
The minister also urged those who have information and or evidence which prove the existence of underhand dealings at the office to come forward so as to make the investigation process easy.
Reports of corruption in Registrar-General’s office are not peculiar to Lupane as reports suggest that even Harare officers are asking for huge kickbacks.
Passport seekers may not expose those who ask for bribes as they are desperate to get the travel document so that they escape the economic and humanitarian crisis in the country.
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