Registry acts to beat birth records cheats 

Source: Registry acts to beat birth records cheats – herald

The Herald,21 January 1984

THE Market Square district office has stream lined its procedures in a determined effort to prevent foreigners from fraudulently obtaining birth certificates for children who were not born in Zimbabwe, the registrar, Cde Zvaipa Chigwada said yesterday.

The Market Square registry the busiest in the country, is one used by most foreigners in Harare when they want to report births, deaths, to get registration certificates or for replacing lost registration certificates.

Mr. Chigwada said: “I have a 42-member staff, but that is not enough for what we are trying to do.  Sometimes we get so busy, as we did on Monday, that we cannot break for lunch and even have to approach the Registrar General for additional manpower from other offices.”

Cde Chigwada said to prevent any waywardness only one person at Market Square was authorised to issue birth certificates. He said that since last June when he was promoted from provincial passport officer at head office to Market Square registrar, he had tightened record-keeping and had instituted other measures he would not disclose in an effort to curb corruption.

Cde Chigwada said a birth certificate was important because it conferred upon a child an irrevocable birth right, including the right to citizenship, to vote and to have a passport.

“A birth certificate must therefore be authentic in every respect. Births should be registered within 12 months, Cde Chigwada said.  During such registration the parents must produce a hospital or clinic card, proof of their citizenship or a marriage certificate.  If the parents were not married both of them must sign a declaration in the presence of the registrar.

Births can also be registered more than 12 months from the date of birth.

But Cde Chigwada warned: “When effecting such registrations extreme care must be exercised as it is common knowledge that attempts are being made by foreigners to obtain birth certificates for children who were not born in Zimbabwe.”