A 31-YEAR-OLD Plumtree woman was shocked to discover that she was registered as dead when she went to apply for a passport at the Registrar-General (RG)’s office in Bulawayo late last year.
BY MTHANDAZO NYONI OWN CORRESPONDENT
Sinqobile Sibanda of Mangwe district under chief Tshitshi yesterday told our Bulawayo Bureau that she visited the Bulawayo RG’s office to apply for a passport, but was shocked to be told that she was registered as “dead”.
Sibanda said she has had a torrid time trying to convince registry officials that she was alive and was who she claims to be.
“I lost my identification card (ID) in 2011 and did not report the matter to the police. I acquired a new one and proceeded to apply for a passport, but was shocked to hear that I was categorised under D (Death) status,” Sibanda said.
She said she had approached the Bulawayo Registrar-General who revealed that a person by the name Thomsen Moyo (ID 41-088005 Z41) had used her name and ID to obtain a burial order for Sidingani Tshuma who had died at Mpilo Hospital.
Sibanda said she approached Mpilo officials who furnished her with an affidavit kept in their records signed by Thomsen Moyo on April 4, 2013 at Mpilo Police Post.
The affidavit reads: “I, Thomsen Moyo (ID 41-088005 Z41), residing at Makhovula Primary School, Box 10 Lupane, do hereby solemnly declare that I know the deceased Sinqobile Sibanda (08-639691 S35) of Plot 5 Hyde Park, Bulawayo.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
“I do know the deceased Sinqobile Sibanda who on admission at Mpilo Central Hospital used the name Sidingani Tshuma. May you allow us to use this affidavit to change her name on hospital cards to that on her national identification document.”
Sibanda said she reported the matter to the police at the Barbourfields Police Post.
A police report titled Outcome of report received and signed by Barbourfields Police Post member-in-charge on January 13, 2014 confirmed the incident.
The report says that with “reference to your report to the police on 10 December 2013, it is advised that, as a result of investigations carried out, accused person Thomsen Moyo could not be accounted for and was carded. However, the matter will be resuscitated as soon as the accused person is accounted for.”
“The relevant papers are held at this station pending possible receipt of further information. In the event of any new development you will be advised,” reads the police report.
But Sibanda expressed her disappointment at the way the matter was being handled by both the police and the Bulawayo RG’s office.
“I have been visiting the RG’s offices since August last year, but to no avail and my life has just come to a standstill. I can’t do anything at the moment and yet they keep tossing me from one office to another. If I go to the RG’s office, they refer me back to the police. I do not know what to do. I appeal to the relevant authorities to come to my rescue because I can’t continue like that,” Sibanda said.
