Citizens revile Zim govt for hiking passport fees

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The Zimbabwean government has announced that it will raise passport fees from $120 to $200 starting from January 1, 2024.

The Minister of Finance, Mthuli Ncube, has proposed raising vehicle registration and passport fees in 2024 ¹ ².

This move has been met with criticism from the public, who are already struggling to make ends meet.

The government’s decision to hike passport fees is seen as an attempt to make money from suffering Zimbabweans fleeing to diaspora ¹.

Zimbabwe has been facing a severe economic crisis for years, with hyperinflation, food shortages, and high unemployment rates. The country has been experiencing a mass exodus of people leaving the country in search of better opportunities.

The majority of Zimbabweans migrate to neighboring South Africa and Botswana, but the Zimbabwean diaspora is now truly global in its distribution ³.

Hopewell Chin’ono, a Zimbabwean journalist and documentary filmmaker, has been vocal about the government’s actions on social media.

In one of his tweets, he expressed his disappointment with the government’s decision to raise passport fees, stating that it would make it even harder for Zimbabweans to leave the country ⁴.

“The Zimbabwean Government has increased the cost of getting a passport from US$120, to a whopping US$200! It wants to make money from the misery of Zimbabweans who are running away from ZANUPF’s failed policies and corrupt rule,” said Chin’ono.

The government’s decision to raise passport fees has been met with widespread criticism from the public. Many Zimbabweans have taken to social media to express their frustration with the government’s actions.

Some have accused the government of trying to profit from the suffering of its citizens, while others have called for protests against the fee hike ¹.