Government has been asked to review passport application fees downward by Zimbabweans in South Africa.

The Zimbabwe Community in South Africa’s (ZimComSA) spokesperson, Mr Bongani Mazwi Mkwananzi said they “call on the Government to reduce the passport fees in solidarity with the working people who are under global lockdown following the outbreak of Covid-19,” he said.

He said Government could reduce the passport fee by at least 50 percent and still recoup production costs.

Mkwananzi said they had put forward a request to the Zimbabwe Consulate for them to courier passport application forms to Harare for passport processing given the current lockdown conditions.

The Consul General, he said has since informed them that engagements were underway with the Register General and other Government departments.

“We understand that talks are ongoing to see how this process can be done.”

Mr Mkwananzi said many people in the Diaspora were unable to travel to Zimbabwe to submit passport application forms, making it difficult for them to renew their passports before they expire.

He said they had proposed that the passport fees be paid at the Consulate, including courier fees by applicants.

“We hope that this discussion will be concluded soon so that our members will not have to bear the burden of sending on their passport forms via their relatives for submission at the passport office in Zimbabwe,” said Mkwananzi.

He advised those with expiring passports to use the Consulate booking process as recently announced. -Herald