It’s the daily pilgrimage for thousands of Zimbabweans: the hunt for the elusive national identity document (ID).
AN icy wind whips through the deserted streets, stinging the faces of the figures huddled together outside the Registrar-General’s office.
They clutch worn backpacks and thermoses, a makeshift breakfast in the battle against the cold and frustration.

It’s the daily pilgrimage for thousands of Zimbabweans: the hunt for the elusive national identity document (ID).
The ID crisis in Zimbabwe has reached fever pitch.
Offices across the country face crippling shortages of plastic cards, the lifeblood of legal existence.

Diaspora returnees, their hopes pinned on replacing lost or expired IDs, face weeks of agonising waiting.
Young Takura, just 16 and brimming with nervous excitement, dreams of registering for exams, but the ID, a passport to academic adulthood, remains unobtainable.
“I need my ID to register for examinations next year,” Takura whispers, his voice barely audible over the wind.
“But with the way things are going, I don’t know if I’ll get it in time.”
A contract signed with Garsu Pasaulis, a Lithuanian company, by the government in 2021 has failed to alleviate the ID crisis.
The shortage has been ongoing for several months, with reports of registry offices running out of plastic ID cards and resorting to issuing waiting passes.
The green waiting pass, a flimsy consolation, mocks the dream of a plastic ID. Banks won’t recognise it, jobs slip through its grasp and dreams wither under its pale sheen.
“I came back from Malawi to open a bank account so I could send money to my family,” says a dejected Tapiwa Nyatanga.
“But they won’t accept the green paper. I’m stuck here, with no money and no way to get what I need.”
Registrar-General Henry Machiri denied that there is a shortage of consumables.
“During the pre-election period, the government availed consumables and every

registration office had consumables. So, that problem was addressed well before elections,” Machiri said.
“Yes, you can go to an office and find the machine down or the network down, but the major problem was of consumables, which was addressed.”
He added: “But since we use machines, today they can be up and tomorrow they are down. But when doing rollouts [of decentralisation], we can’t do it all at once.
“So if there are offices that are not issuing out IDs right now, the machines might have developed a fault, or network challenges. I can’t tell the offices off the top of my head.”
He, however, confirmed that the Harare registry office was currently processing a limited number of IDs â€` up to 220 per day.
“It depends on how many printers they have, but mostly if they are working normal time, they produce 200, 220 or 230. It will be unfair to make 500 people wait in queues when we know that they will not get them. I tell you, if we were to give green waiting passes only and set aside the plastic ID, we would give even up to 500 per day because the issuance is easy.”
Aaron Hamauswa, a human rights activist said access to ID was a basic right.
“It’s about our dignity, our ability to participate in society. The government is failing us and we need to make our voices heard,” Hamauswa said.
The long wait is a tax on time, a test of patience, a burden borne on weary shoulders.
But in the hushed dawn of Harare, as the sun casts its first golden rays on the patient queuers, a message becomes clear: even in the face of adversity, the Zimbabwean spirit endures.
The dawn patrol marches on, driven by the unyielding dream of a card, a document.
Until then, they stand, they wait, they hope, their silent vigil a testament to a yearning for identity, for recognition, for a place in their own land. V.5137

One of the highlighted topics: Critical Skills Visa.

- Key Insight: Is your profession on the Critical Skills List? This visa is your fast track to working in South Afr...
- This matter relates to critical skills visa and its broader implications.
- Individuals are advised to seek professional guidance.

Is your profession on the Critical Skills List? This visa is your fast trac V.6139
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One of the applicants, Phindile Mazibuko, became a victim of identity theft in 2012 when fraudulent transactions occurred, using her personal details.

-The Pretoria High Court found that the department of home affairs had violated constitutional rights without due process.
-Only half of Lawyers for Human Rights` test group has been unblocked, while 385 000 identities remain blocked nationwide.
-LHR appeals extension, urges affected people to seek help now.

Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) are intensifying pressure on the department of home affairs over the national ID-blocking crisis, accusing the state of acting too slowly to unblock qualifying individuals despite a landmark court ruling.

In January last year, the Pretoria High Court found that the department`s practice of blocking IDs without due process was unlawful and unconstitutional. One of the applicants, Phindile Mazibuko, a Swati citizen and South African permanent resident since 1998, fell victim to identity theft in 2012 when fraudsters used her personal details.

 V.6133
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The Border Management Authority (BMA) has doubled its staff at Airports in South Africa , including immigration officers.

What does this mean for travelers? V.6128
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The Border Management Authority (BMA) has doubled its staff at Airports in South Africa , including immigration officers.

What does this mean for travelers? V.6129
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A Washington state mother and her 6-year-old son have been released after spending more than three weeks in US immigration detention due to a brief trip to Canada and a small paperwork mistake, her attorney told CNN on Saturday.

Sarah Shaw, a New Zealand citizen who has lived legally in the US since she arrived in 2021, was detained at the Blaine, Washington, Customs and Border Protection checkpoint when returning home after dropping her two oldest children off at the Vancouver airport for a flight to visit their grandparents in New Zealand. Shaw, 33, chose the flight out of Vancouver because it was direct and she didn`t want her children to have to navigate a layover alone, her attorney Minda Thorward, told CNN.

 V.6130
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On 22 July 2025, the Gauteng High Court dismissed Sitrusrand Boerdery`s review of the Department of Employment and Labour`s refusal to issue a Working Conditions and Salary Benchmarking Certificate, an essential precondition for obtaining corporate visas under the Immigration Act.

Acting Judge Kekana AJ held that the Department`s decision was lawful, rational and procedurally fair. This judgment illustrates how businesses can - and must - structure their corporate visa applications to meet statutory requirements, and how legal practitioners should prepare robust review challenges when administrative authorities decline to recommend foreign-work permits.

 V.6131
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The United States could forfeit an estimated 9.4 billion dollars in visitor spending over the next three years following the introduction of a new 250 dollars `visa integrity fee,` according to industry groups, who warn the policy risks undermining tourism and costing thousands of jobs.
The United States’ decision to introduce a 250 dollars `visa integrity fee` on international visitors has triggered sharp criticism from the global tourism industry, with officials warning that the measure could deter millions of travellers and cost the U.S. economy billions.
The 250dollar `visa integrity fee,` part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed on July 4, 2025, will take effect later this year. According to immigration law firm Envoy Global, it applies to all nonimmigrant visa holders which include students, tourists, temporary workers, and business visitors particularly from African countries. V.6132
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The Border Management Authority (BMA) has doubled its staff at Airports in South Africa , including immigration officers.

What does this mean for travelers? V.6127
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1. Right to Legal Representation•You have the right to consult with a legal representative.•Contact an immigration practitioner, legal aid clinic, or attorney urgently.•Do not sign any documents without understanding them fully. 2. Section 34 of the Immigration Act•You must be brought to court with 48 hours to confirm arrest but you can remain locked up very long as courts figure out what to do with you •If you`re found to be illegally in South Africa, you may be detained for up to 30 days (extendable by a magistrate) pending deportation.•BUT this cannot happen arbitrarily. You must be informed of your rights, and Home Affairs must follow due process.- becomes a nightmare , you could lose your job , business , place to stay V.6121
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Driving for Bolt, Uber, Mr D, or Checkers Sixty60?If you`re undocumented, you`re risking more than just your income.The Risks if You`re Not Legal: - Vehicle impoundment - Heavy fines - Arrest & deportation - Permanent bans from working in SA V.6122
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