Fake ID Scam Exposed At Bulawayo Registry
A worker from a company contracted by the Department of Deeds, Companies and Intellectual Property has been implicated in a fake national identity document scam at the Civil Registry Department’s Tredgold Building in Bulawayo.
The Chronicle cited sources at the Tredgold Building who said an alert Civil Registry Department official noticed an anomaly when a woman seeking a new plastic identity card arrived at the office accompanied by one of the alleged masterminds, identified only as Brian.
It is alleged that the identity document appeared genuine, except for one suspicious detail: the photo on Buhle Sibanda’s paper document matched exactly what she was wearing on the day—same clothes and makeup—despite her claim that she had kept the photocopy since obtaining the original ID in 2019. Sibanda was born in 1995.
The document also stated that she was originally from the Chief Tshabanda area in Tsholotsho; however, no such chief exists in that district.
Upon interrogation, Sibanda admitted that the photo had been taken just outside the Tredgold Building on the same day and that Brian had handled the entire process.
Investigations revealed that Brian works for a company called Dokma Private Limited, which is contracted by the Department of Deeds, Companies and Intellectual Property. The company is involved in the Deeds, Lands, and Administration Systems programme, which is meant to digitise departmental operations.
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