Construction of the Civil Registry Office building in Insiza South Constituency has stopped, due to a lack of funds.
Work had briefly resumed last year after being dormant since 2005.
The Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage had hoped to complete the Insiza Registry Building by December 2024.
However, the completion date is uncertain with the Treasury yet to release the allocated funds.
Upon completion, the registry office would serve residents of Filabusi and surrounding areas, eliminating the need for them to travel to distant towns like Bulawayo or Gwanda for documentation and passports.
Minister of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage, Kazembe Kazembe, confirmed that the project has stalled due to a lack of funds allocated by the Treasury.
“The department had planned to complete construction of the Insiza Registry Building by December 2024,” Minister Kazembe said in Parliament last week. “The project was allocated a total of ZWL$2,300,000,000 in the 2024 Budget, which was equivalent to US$383,000.”
Minister Kazembe responded to a question from Insiza South legislator, Spares Sithole, regarding the completion timeline. He acknowledged the lack of activity at the construction site due to the unavailability of funds. Consequently, the Ministry cannot provide a definitive timeframe for the project’s completion.
Last year, following a brief resumption of construction, then-Insiza District Development Coordinator (DDC) Zacharia Jusa claimed the government had secured funding for the project.
However, locals have long expressed frustration with the delays, attributing them to a lack of political will despite work initially starting years ago. Some residents even speculated that the temporary resumption in 2023 coincided with the election season.
