No solution in sight for civic participation of stateless people

Grace Moyo

The Zimbabwe Electoral Commission’s voter registration blitz has come and gone but for the “stateless” members of society, the blitz meant nothing as they do not have the vital documentation required to register as voters and there seems to be no solution in sight for their complex situation.

Sibusisiwe Dube from Lupane wishes to vote in the upcoming harmonised election but lack of documentation has proved to be an unyielding impediment. She learned from relatives that her mother was gang raped by three soldiers at the tail end of the Gukurahundi massacres and  later died when Sibusisiwe was only a year old. She never got to know her father who could be one of the three men who raped her mother.

“It’s not easy to survive without a birth certificate and a national ID. One cannot register to vote or obtain a passport. I am trying so hard to obtain these vital documents. It is my wish to vote in the next election but it is increasingly looking very unlikely,” she said.

The last time Sibusisiwe visited the Registrar’s office with an uncle, officials demanded a witness who was present during her birth and a signed letter from the headman to confirm that she was born in the village. The headman was willing to help, but the challenge was on the death certificate of her mother which she could not produce. 

Sibusisiwe could not write her ordinary level exams due to  lack of a national ID. Since then, it has been difficult for her to find a formal job. Now she can’t even exercise her constitutional right to vote as she is considered “stateless.”

Sam Ncube (38), of St Luke’s, in Lupane is failing to get the much-needed identity documents and is also likely to miss out on the upcoming elections. He says he  lacks credible witnesses to testify on his birth record or origins.

“My parents died before obtaining a birth certificate for me, when l was very young, and l went to live with my aunt in Plumtree who later relocated with me to South Africa. My aunt died in South Africa. Since returning to Zimbabwe a year ago, l have not been able to locate any of my relatives that can testify about my birth so that I can at least obtain a birth certificate,” said Sam.

He added that this has been a challenge for him in terms of getting a job or any productive source of livelihood due to a lack of documentation and all efforts to engage local leaders in his area have failed.

I have struggled to get any meaningful job and cannot participate in civic processes such as voting. I have a political party of my choice but sadly cannot translate that to a vote. I feel so useless and this is so painful,” he said.

Joseph Phiri of Ward 15 in Lupane has given up on registering to vote on account of being “stateless.”

“My parents are from Malawi, but I have never been there. I was born here in Zimbabwe only to be labelled an alien because I do not have a Zimbabwean birth certificate. I also do not have a Malawian certificate. Although I would like to vote, being unable to vote is the least of my worries because I have been denied so many important things due to my status,” said Phiri.

In 2001, the government of Zimbabwe introduced a law that required people of foreign origin to renounce their ancestral nationality within six months and apply for Zimbabwean citizenship but for several ‘alien’ citizens like Phiri, this was not possible because they do not have the needed documents. In order to be granted Zimbabwean citizenship, they had to prove that their parents are foreign nationals by producing their documents as proof.

‘I do not know where to start in terms of looking for my parents’ relatives. My parents passed on in 1999, and I do not have their death certificates. As a result, I have been denied citizenship and an education and I don’t even have the luxury to think of voting. I could not even sit for Grade 7 examinations,” he said.

Stateless people in Zimbabwe face barriers in accessing vital services and participating in civic activities. According to Amnesty International, several people who are descendants of migrant workers who settled in Zimbabwe before independence are stateless and have been socially excluded, and struggle to access education, healthcare, and housing. 

Amnesty International’s report titled ‘We are like stray animals,’ details how Zimbabwe’s discriminatory and arbitrary nationality laws have left generations of migrant workers and their families marginalised in the only country they have ever called home. The report also says thousands of survivors of the horrific Gukurahundi atrocities are denied citizenship because they cannot provide the death certificates of relatives, which are required to prove Zimbabwean nationality.