BY LUBALETHU NDLOVU
Cowdray Park suburb in Bulawayo is set to have its own registry office as a way of decongesting the provincial registrar office in Bulawayo.
The sprawling suburb has a population of about 25 000.
Speaking at a groundbreaking ceremony for the new offices in the suburb, Friday, Registrar General Clemence Masango said the move is meant to ease pressure on other centres in the city.
“Cowdray Park should have its own Registrar Office so that some services are decentralized from the City Centre,” said Masango.
The Registrar General`s office processes birth certificates, national identity documents, passports, burial orders, death certificates and marriage certificates among other documents
Vice President Kembo Mohadi, who was the guest of honour said the new office will ensure that residents do not have to incur a lot of costs.
“Constructing a Registrar Office for Cowdray Park is a positive step towards devolution of power because some services will be decentralized”, said the Vice President.
The new Registrar office will not be issuing plastic national identification cards because the equipment to produce them is expensive and paper identification cards will be issued out until they attain funds.
“Plastic identification cards will be offered later on since the equipment is expensive but, in the meantime, green paper identification cards will be issued to residents,” said Masango.
The Registrar General Office is struggling to produce essential documents like the passports due to financial constraints.
