By NQOBANI NDLOVU ZIMBABWE has resumed consulate services in Johannesburg, in neighbouring South Africa after suspending services owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The embassy had moved most of its services online, after a number of consulate staff tested positive to the virus. In a notice dated March 2, 2021, Zimbabwe’s consul to general Melody Chaurira said the resumption of consular services follows an adjustment on South Africa’s lockdown measures from level three to one by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
“… the consulate has accordingly made the following adjustments to consular services during this period: The number of appointments per day for clients seeking birth certificate and passport application services has been restored to 600,” the notice reads in part.
“The first priority will be to serve clients whose appointments were deferred under Adjusted Alert Level three lockdown. (These are appointments which were booked between January 4 and March 26, 2021).
“In the meantime, please note that clients seeking other services such as Temporary Travel Documents (TTD), cancellation of passports, authentication of documents, and so on, still do not require booking in order to access services.”
The embassy has been facilitating the repatriation of Zimbabweans wishing to return home to escape escaping COVID-19-induced socio-economic difficulties.
The outbreak of COVID-19 left Zimbabweans in a worse off situation, with some losing jobs and other sources of income. Adding to their woes was that most of them did not qualify for social grants given by the South African government to its vulnerable citizens. Thousands of Zimbabweans are domiciled in South Africa, legally and illegally, after fleeing the economic meltdown and political persecution in Zimbabwe.
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