Mobile IDs Drive Brings Legal Relief to Remote Binga Families
The Government of Zimbabwe has launched a mobile registration campaign targeting remote communities in Binga District, Matabeleland North Province.
The initiative, which started on July 7 and runs to July 11, is being led by the Civil Registry Department in partnership with Unicef and the Embassy of Sweden.
Its primary goal is to provide birth certificates and national IDs to underserved citizens in difficult-to-reach areas.
In villages like Siamusanga located 160km from Binga Centre and just 7km from the Zambian border — families face serious challenges accessing documentation.
Long distances, limited infrastructure, and dangerous wildlife make the journey to registry offices a major obstacle.
Without legal identity documents, children are excluded from basic services such as education, healthcare, and public transport.
For Emma Mwinde, who travelled with her husband and three-year-old daughter from Gokwe under Chief Chireya, the mobile campaign was a vital lifeline.
The couple set off before dawn on Tuesday, walking toward Siamusanga Primary School where registration was taking place. About eight kilometres into their journey, they encountered a herd of elephants.
“We stopped. I was carrying the baby on my back. It was just frightening, but we know the nature of this place. There are elephants and also lions that roam around here.
“So, we let them pass and we continued the journey when we were sure that all was clear,” said Mwinde.
Mwinde said travelling over 20km to the mobile site was a safer alternative to the 60km it would have taken to reach the registry office in Siabuwa.
Her husband works in a nearby fishing village where access to civil services is nearly impossible.
The Chronicle reported that the exercise is part of broader efforts under Zimbabwe’s Second Republic to extend civil services through decentralisation, digital innovation, and community outreach.
According to the 2023–24 Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey, the country’s birth registration rate stands at 57 percent — a figure officials aim to improve through mobile outreach programmes.
Authorities say legal identity is not just a formality — it’s a gateway to opportunity. With documentation in hand, children can enroll in school, access healthcare, and claim their rights as citizens.
